Eni's CEO, Claúdio Descalzi, said that the oil company has put on the table the possibility of moving into fruit cultivation to produce biofuels in Mozambique.

Descalzi revealed that the issue follows the same line of dialogue he has had with other countries. The proposal is to use uncultivated marginal land for food production.

Among the fruits in the fuel production matrix, to which Eni can turn, is the castor bean (Ricinus communis L.).

The CEO of the oil company presented the idea last week during a working visit to the Mozambican capital Maputo, where he met with the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, thus marking the resumption of dialogue between the parties, which had been interrupted by the constraints of the pandemic.

The meeting also talked about carbon sequestration, to compensate for Eni's gas exploration projects in the country.

Descalzi confirmed, meanwhile, that reserves in Area 4 of the Rovuma basin, off Cabo Delgado, will begin to be exploited from the first half of next year.

The wells that will feed the project have already been drilled, and the South Coral floating platform should soon leave the shipyards in South Korea for Mozambique.

This will be the first unit to explore the Rovuma reserves, ranked among the largest in the world.

ENI is also expected to begin prospecting activities off Angoche, in the central part of the country, by mid 2022.