Paris (AFP) – France’s TotalEnergies said Saturday that the consortium it leads to build a $20-billion liquified natural gas project in Mozambique has decided to lift a suspension on the work imposed in 2021 because of jihadist violence. TotalEnergies stated that the “force majeure” halt to the Mozambique LNG project would be lifted, but added that Mozambique’s government would need to approve the move before work could restart. It mentioned that Mozambican President Daniel Chapo had been notified of the decision on Friday. This statement confirmed a news report from local outlet Zitmar.
The Mozambique LNG project, the largest private investment in Africa’s energy infrastructure, is expected to generate thousands of jobs and help make the country one of the world’s biggest LNG exporters. Work was frozen after jihadists launched a deadly attack on the site of the project near the Tanzanian border in March 2021, resulting in around 800 deaths. Although no further attacks of that magnitude have occurred since, the jihadist insurrection has not stopped; the UN reported approximately 633 attacks against civilians this year.
Chapo, on a visit to the United States on Saturday, was scheduled to go to the headquarters of US oil and gas giant ExxonMobil, which is considering a different gas project in Mozambique. The head of ExxonMobil’s operations in Mozambique stated in September that the US company’s decision regarding the Rovuma LNG project was linked to TotalEnergies lifting its halt. The French oil and gas company is the lead partner in the Mozambique LNG consortium, holding a 26.5 percent stake.
The consortium has indicated that it could start making the first LNG deliveries four years after the project is initiated. The African Development Bank estimated in 2018 that Mozambique has more than five trillion cubic meters of gas—enough to supply Britain, France, Germany, and Italy for 20 years.
© 2024 AFP
