French oil major, TotalEnergies, has further delayed its $20 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Mozambique, citing ongoing security concerns.
TotalEnergies provided this update on the status of the Mozambique LNG project in an interview with Financial Times on Wednesday.
The company, however, did not state when the project would restart.
Patrick Pouyanné, the CEO of Total, said there had been “progress on the ground” through an alliance between Mozambique and Rwanda in which Kigali has deployed 4,000 troops to fight an insurgency.
Earlier in October 2024, Pouyanné stated he intended to meet with the newly elected president of Mozambique following the October elections, but the business informed the Financial Times that this did not transpire.
Since 2021, when an insurgency threatened the location, the LNG project in the unrest-plagued province of Cabo Delgado has been put on hold.
Total was forced to declare a force majeure and remove all employees from the construction site after dozens of civilians were killed in the attacks in a nearby town.
According to the CEO, further plans to restart the project by the first quarter of 2024, in December 2023, have slipped after violence flared following October’s disputed presidential election, putting at risk a goal to begin production in 2029.
On his part, Pouyanné, reiterated the 2029 production target when he told investors in New York in October that he hoped to restart the project by the end of last year.
“The priority is to restore peace and security in Cabo Delgado and lift the force majeure,” he said.
