Rwanda calls on firms to resume Mozambique LNG project

The security situation in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado district has been restored and oil companies developing LNG projects in the area should resume their work, Rwandan president Paul Kagame has said.

The Mozambique government asked the Rwandan army to help it restore security in Cabo Delgado, near where TotalEnergies is developing its 13.1mn t/yr Mozambique LNG project, which halted construction in March and declared force majeure in April as the security outlook in the area deteriorated.

Oil companies can now return to the area since it is safe and continue with their work, Kagame added.

Mozambique police and troops from the Southern African Development Community are supporting Rwandan forces in the area, the Rwandan government said.

But work at the Mozambique LNG project may only be able to resume in 12-18 months, provided that the security outlook in the area continues to improve, the president of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, said.

Should construction resume within this timeline, the project could begin production by 2025 or 2026, having initially been slated for 2024.

TotalEnergies chief executive Patrick Pouyanne previously said the completion of the project was delayed by "at least a year", and its completion is "no more in [their] hands".

By Mercy Matsiko