jasdooit

France’s TotalEnergies announced on Saturday that the group it heads, which is working on a $20-billion liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique, has chosen to end the halt on operations that was put in place in 2021 due to militant attacks.

TotalEnergies mentioned in a statement that the “force majeure” suspension of the Mozambique LNG project would be ended, although it noted that approval from Mozambique’s government is required before operations can resume.

It mentioned that Mozambican President Daniel Chapo was informed of the decision on Friday.

The declaration validated a local news story from Zitmar.

The Mozambique LNG initiative, the biggest private development in Africa’s energy sector, is anticipated to create thousands of employment opportunities and position the nation among the top LNG exporters globally.

The project’s progress came to a halt following a lethal assault by extremists on the site close to the Tanzanian border in March 2021, leading to approximately 800 fatalities.

No additional assaults at that level have occurred since, but the jihadist uprising continues — the UN reported there have been approximately 633 attacks on civilians this year.

Chapo, during a trip to the United States on Saturday, was scheduled to visit the headquarters of the major US oil and gas company ExxonMobil, which is considering an alternative gas project in Mozambique.

The leader of ExxonMobil’s activities in Mozambique stated in September that the company’s choice regarding the Rovuma LNG project was connected to TotalEnergies ending its suspension.

A French oil and gas company serves as the main partner in the Mozambique LNG consortium, holding a 26.5 percent share. The consortium has indicated that it may begin delivering the first LNG shipments four years following the project’s initiation.

In 2018, the African Development Bank reported that Mozambique possesses over five trillion cubic meters of natural gas—sufficient to meet the needs of Britain, France, Germany, and Italy for two decades.