Mozambique Gives TotalEnergies 30 Days to Present LNG Restart Plan

Mozambique’s government has given TotalEnergies 30 days to deliver a detailed timetable for restarting the Cabo Delgado LNG megaproject, making it clear that operations must resume without waiting for the completion of the cost audit covering the four-and-a-half years under force majeure.

A cabinet resolution dated 19 November, seen by Lusa, outlines the state’s position: the return to full activity on the $20-billion project cannot hinge on the audit’s final report. TotalEnergies, operator of the Rovuma Basin’s Area 1 LNG development, must present a concrete sequence of actions and required approvals by 19 December.

Government Commissions Independent Audit

Although the restart moves ahead, Maputo has ordered an independent audit of all spending during the force majeure period, which began in April 2021 and was formally lifted by TotalEnergies on 7 November. The state will contract the auditors and review the findings, while TotalEnergies will have a chance to comment before the final report is issued. The company must prove that each expense relates to contracts previously cleared by the petroleum regulator.

Project Timeline Adjusted After Years of Suspension

The cabinet resolution also confirms that the project’s original 30-year development and production period, approved in 2018, will be extended to reflect the years lost during the suspension and the remobilisation now underway. Earlier this month, TotalEnergies argued for an extension of more than 10 years to recover what it says are losses of $4.5 billion since 2021. The government maintains that the initial suspension was the company’s decision, not a jointly agreed pause.

State Pledges Faster Approvals

To prevent further delays, the government has committed to speeding up the permits, licences, and administrative steps the operator will need as activities resume. Final validation of costs from the force majeure period will depend on the audit and the resolution of technical and contractual issues, including revised investment plans and updated revenue expectations that protect the national interest.

President Daniel Chapo said on 12 November that he expected negotiations with TotalEnergies to wrap up within a week. The company has already pushed its first LNG delivery date from the original July 2024 target to the first half of 2029.

Mozambique hosts three major LNG ventures in the Rovuma Basin, one of the world’s largest natural gas reserves. TotalEnergies’ 13-mtpa project and ExxonMobil’s planned 18-mtpa development — worth $30 billion and still awaiting a final investment decision — sit on the Afungi peninsula. Eni’s Coral South floating LNG platform has produced around 7 mtpa since 2022 and plans to double capacity in 2028 with the Coral North expansion.