The French group TotalEnergies officially relaunched its Mozambique LNG mega-project on Thursday, January 29, after it had been suspended for nearly five years following a deadly jihadist attack. The resumption was announced by CEO Patrick Pouyanné at a ceremony attended by Mozambican President Daniel Chapo.
The construction project, located in the province of Cabo Delgado (northern Spain), was halted after the March 2021 attack in the city of Palma, near the site, which left approximately 800 people dead. TotalEnergies declared a case of force majeure, which was lifted in October 2025, now allowing the full resumption of operations.
A major economic issue for Maputo
Estimated at $20 billion, the project is presented as the largest private investment in African energy infrastructure. It is expected to generate thousands of jobs and strengthen Mozambique's position in the global gas market thanks to the region's significant offshore reserves.
In this context, TotalEnergies also requested financial compensation from the Mozambican government for the delay, citing an additional cost of $4,5 billion, as well as an extension of the concession. Despite this resumption of work, Cabo Delgado remains plagued by an armed insurgency affiliated with the Islamic State, which has already claimed more than 6,300 lives since 2017.
