TotalEnergies will restart work on its $20 billion liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique, aiming to begin production by 2029, after improved security conditions allowed a return to the insurgency-hit region, CEO Patrick Pouyanné has confirmed.
“Production will be by 2029,” Pouyanné told the Japanese newspaper. While construction at the site was suspended four years ago following attacks by Islamic State-linked insurgents, he said that engineering work had continued off-site. “People continued with the engineering,” he said, adding: “We should be able to meet” the 2029 target.
Pouyanné, who leads the French energy giant holding a 26.5% stake in the Mozambique LNG project, said he is now confident that security in the region has stabilised sufficiently to move forward.
“I’m convinced today that we can organize, welcome and accommodate all the workers which will be required for building this plant,” he said.
The massive LNG project had been on hold since 2021 after militant violence forced a halt to construction activities in the northern Cabo Delgado province. However, with security improvements and financing from the US Export-Import Bank confirmed, prospects for restarting the development have strengthened.
In January, it was reported that the 2029 start date was at risk. But Pouyanné subsequently signalled that work could resume as early as this summer, driven by the improved security environment and financing assurances.
