MAPUTO (Reuters) -Mozambique President Daniel Chapo said on Thursday that the conditions have been met for French energy company TotalEnergies to lift force majeure on its $20 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the Southern African country.
TotalEnergies halted work on its Mozambique LNG project in 2021 after an Islamist militant attack.
It forecasts the 13 million metric ton-per-year project will come online in 2029, around five years later than initially expected.
“Conditions are met for the lifting of force majeure, and we await the pronouncement of the concession holder shortly,” Chapo said at a ceremony where Italian firm Eni and its partners took a final investment decision on another gas project in Mozambique.
TotalEnergies declined to comment on Chapo’s comments.
For TotalEnergies, the world’s second-largest listed LNG player, the megaproject offers a chance to narrow the lead of rival Shell as global demand for gas surges and Western buyers seek to avoid Russian gas.
(Reporting by Manuel Mucari and Custodio Cossa; Writing by Wendell Roelf and Alexander Winning)
