Total declares force majeure and pulls out of Mozambique LNG project
Islamic State-linked attacks in the country have forced the French energy giant to withdraw all personnel from the site
26 April 2021 - 11:22
bySudip Kar-Gupta
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Paris — French energy group Total has declared force majeure on its $20bn liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Mozambique and withdrawn all personnel from the site after Islamic State-linked insurgent attacks last month.
Dozens of civilians were killed in March in the coastal Mozambique town of Palma, near gas projects worth $60bn that are aimed to transform Mozambique’s economy.
The attacks have dealt a blow to plans by Total and rival ExxonMobil, which also has an LNG project in Mozambique, to turn the country into a major LNG producer to Australia, Qatar, Russia and the US.
Monday’s announcement also comes as major energy firms reassess their approach to LNG, once seen as a fuel of the future because it has lower emissions than coal or oil but now subject to re-evaluation in the drive to cut carbon emissions even more deeply.
“Considering the evolution of the security situation ... Total confirms the withdrawal of all Mozambique LNG project personnel from the Afungi site. This situation leads Total, as operator of Mozambique LNG project, to declare force majeure,” the company said.
Total, which aimed to produce its first cargo from the project in 2024, suspended work on March 27 after the militant attack.
Declaring force majeure implies a weightier suspension and allows Total to cancel contractors. Force majeure was “the only way to best protect the project interest until work can resume”, a Total spokesperson said.
Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi said earlier in April that the government would work to restore peace in the country after March’s militant attack near the multi-billion-dollar gas projects backed by global oil companies.
The Mozambique government is due to hold a news conference on the situation on Monday.
The LNG project includes development of the Golfinho and Atum natural gas fields in the Offshore Area 1 concession and the construction of a two-train liquefaction plant with capacity of 13.12-million tonnes per annum.
Total is operator of the Mozambique LNG project and obtained a $14.9bn debt financing package in July to fund its rollout.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Total declares force majeure and pulls out of Mozambique LNG project
Islamic State-linked attacks in the country have forced the French energy giant to withdraw all personnel from the site
Paris — French energy group Total has declared force majeure on its $20bn liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Mozambique and withdrawn all personnel from the site after Islamic State-linked insurgent attacks last month.
Dozens of civilians were killed in March in the coastal Mozambique town of Palma, near gas projects worth $60bn that are aimed to transform Mozambique’s economy.
The attacks have dealt a blow to plans by Total and rival ExxonMobil, which also has an LNG project in Mozambique, to turn the country into a major LNG producer to Australia, Qatar, Russia and the US.
Monday’s announcement also comes as major energy firms reassess their approach to LNG, once seen as a fuel of the future because it has lower emissions than coal or oil but now subject to re-evaluation in the drive to cut carbon emissions even more deeply.
“Considering the evolution of the security situation ... Total confirms the withdrawal of all Mozambique LNG project personnel from the Afungi site. This situation leads Total, as operator of Mozambique LNG project, to declare force majeure,” the company said.
Total, which aimed to produce its first cargo from the project in 2024, suspended work on March 27 after the militant attack.
Declaring force majeure implies a weightier suspension and allows Total to cancel contractors. Force majeure was “the only way to best protect the project interest until work can resume”, a Total spokesperson said.
Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi said earlier in April that the government would work to restore peace in the country after March’s militant attack near the multi-billion-dollar gas projects backed by global oil companies.
The Mozambique government is due to hold a news conference on the situation on Monday.
The LNG project includes development of the Golfinho and Atum natural gas fields in the Offshore Area 1 concession and the construction of a two-train liquefaction plant with capacity of 13.12-million tonnes per annum.
Total is operator of the Mozambique LNG project and obtained a $14.9bn debt financing package in July to fund its rollout.
Reuters
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