Page 6 - GLNG Week 06 2023

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TotalEnergies to assess Mozambique security

before restarting $20bn LNG project

MOZAMBIQUE TOTALENERGIES (France) is taking steps to Province has improved significantly, thanks in
assess security and humanitarian conditions in particular to the support provided by the African
TotalEnergies halted Cabo Delgado, the northernmost province of countries that committed themselves to restore
work on the project in Mozambique, ahead of making a decision on peace and security,” he said, referring to the
March 2021. whether to restart work on a $20bn LNG project. peacekeeping missions carried out by the South-
According to a company statement, TotalEn- ern African Development Community (SADC)
ergies’ CEO Patrick Pouyanné met with Mozam- and the government of Rwanda.
bican President Filipe Nyusi in Cabo Delgado He cautioned, though, that there was still
last week to discuss the matter. During the visit, work to be done. “The lifting of the force
Pouyanné said he had tasked Jean-Christophe majeure and the resumption of activities at
Rufin – a human rights and humanitarian activ- the Mozambique LNG project site require, in
ist, one of the founders of Médecins Sans Fron- particular, the restoration of security in the
tières (MSF), who currently serves as head of region, the resumption of public services and
Action Against Hunger – with leading an inde- the return to normal life for the people of the
pendent mission to evaluate the situation. region,” he commented.
The mission will assess humanitarian con- TotalEnergies is serving as operator of the
ditions in Cabo Delgado, evaluate the Mozam- Mozambique LNG consortium through its sub-
bique LNG consortium’s actions and determine sidiary Total E&P Mozambique Area 1, which
whether any additional steps should be taken holds a 26.5% stake in the project. The remain-
on behalf of the province’s residents, the CEO ing equity in the group is split between two Jap-
reported. It will then summarise its conclusions anese companies, Mitsui and Japan Oil, Gas and
in a report due to be delivered to project share- Metals National Corp. (JOGMEC), which have a
holders at the end of February, Pouyanné said. combined stake of 20%; Mozambique’s national
The information contained in this report will oil company (NOC) ENH, with 15%; Bharat
allow members of the consortium Mozambique Petroleum (India), with 10%; ONGC Videsh Ltd
LNG to decide whether the conditions have been (OVL, India), with 10%; Beas Rovuma Energy
met to resume work on their onshore complex Mozambique (a 60:40 joint venture between
on the Afungi Peninsula, he stated. OVL and Oil India Ltd (OIL), with 10%; and
Pouyanné acknowledged that security risks PTTEP (Thailand), with 8.5%.
had lessened since March 2021, when TotalEn- The French major and its partners aim to
ergies halted work on the project in response in extract gas from Area 1, which lies offshore
response to attacks on nearby communities by Mozambique in the Rovuma basin. They will
Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jamo (ASWJ), an Islamist mil- process the gas at an LNG plant and onshore
itant group with ties to Islamic State (Daesh). At complex on the Afungi Peninsula. This facility
that time, the French major withdrew all of its will eventually have two liquefaction trains, each
employees, along with its partners and contrac- with a capacity of 6.44mn tonnes per year (tpy),
tors, and issued a declaration of force majeure. and will use a dedicated fleet of LNG carriers to
“Since 2021, the situation in Cabo Delgado export its production. ™

P6 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 06 10•February•2023