Moho Nord: An Industrial and Human Challenge in the Republic of the Congo

Moho Nord is a deep offshore oil project situated 75 kilometers off the Congolese coast. It came on stream in March 2017 and is the largest oil project ever undertaken in the Republic of the Congo. A showcase for TotalEnergies’s deep offshore operating expertise and a hub for cutting-edge technology, the Moho Nord project consolidates our leadership position in Africa.

Moho Nord is a vast project operated by TotalEnergies to produce untapped reserves in the Moho-Bilondo license block, which covers an area of 320 kilometers and four reservoirs situated at water depths of 750 to 1,200 meters. Two of the block’s reservoirs started producing oil back in 2008 using the Alima floating production unit (FPU).

The Moho Nord project saw the launch of the field’s second development stage:

• During Moho Phase 1bis, in 2015, the Alima FPU was upgraded and connected to nine new wells. The redevelopment enabled us to increase production by 40,000 barrels per day.
• Moho Nord was launched in 2017 to tap into the two remaining reservoirs, which contain different quality oils and are situated at different water depths in a total of 33 wells. To produce oil from the Albian reservoir situated at water depths of 3,000 meters, we built a tension-leg platform (TLP), the first one to be installed by TotalEnergies in Africa. The oil situated closer to the seabed, in the Miocene reservoir, is produced directly by the Likouf FPU, the first all-electric FPU. Unlike other FPUs, Likouf can process the two different types of oil from the Miocene and Albian reservoirs, separating the crude from the water and gas before exporting it by pipeline to the onshore Djéno terminal.

Together, Moho Phase 1bis and Moho Nord produce 140,000 barrels of oil per day, representing more than half of the country’s total oil production.

• See the infographic showing the project’s two main phases

The Moho Nord project has resulted in a number of technological firsts.

Designed to produce different types of oil from different geographical reservoirs, Moho Nord was a major technical challenge from day one.

As with all of our projects, safety and respect for the environment were key priorities for Moho Nord, right from the start.

Our driving forces throughout the Moho Nord project have been the optimization of energy efficiency in installations, zero routine flaring, the recovery of waste heat and the reinjection of all produced water (water produced during oil and gas processing) – all technologies that ensure we meet our commitments. The first ever all-electric FPU, Likouf was designed to have the smallest environmental footprint possible. Its all-electric system provides the power necessary for operation while minimizing the amount of gas combustion required.

And to meet our zero-accident target, TotalEnergies and its partners have worked together to implement a safety program, appointing our own “Safety Champions” to ensure that teams stay safe throughout the project.