Covid-19: Total reaffirms schedule for Mozambique LNG project

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Covid-19: Total reaffirms schedule for Mozambique LNG project

3:18 CAT | 19 May 2020

in file CoM

French oil major Total has reaffirmed the date for the start of exploitation of natural gas in Mozambique, seven weeks after the temporary suspension of activities due to the discovery of Covid-19 in its future natural gas processing complex in Afungi, Cabo Delgado.

“Based on current forecasts, this temporary suspension of activities will not have a material impact on the project schedule, and we are still on track to deliver the first loads of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2024,” the French oil company press release reads.

The first case of Covid-19 discovered at Total’s natural gas processing complex in Afungi, Cabo Delgado, was announced on April 2, followed by several other infections that flagged the site as a source of contamination and made the province the one with the highest number of Covid-19 cases in Mozambique.

The oil company was forced to isolate some workers and temporarily suspend its activities, leaving only a skeleton crew at the site.

“For the time being, those who remain in Afungi are working on security and logistics, as well as on the disinfection program. Once the site is declared free of Covid-19 and in accordance with the Ministry of Health guidelines, we will gradually return to work,” the French oil major adds.

The Mozambique LNG project will be the first onshore natural gas exploitation project in the Rovuma basin, initially consisting of two modules with a nominal capacity of 12.88 million tons per year (mtpa).

Natural gas projects are expected to go into production in approximately five years, boosting Mozambique’s growth to above 10% a year, according to the International Monetary Fund and other entities.

According to the latest update (Monday May 18), Mozambique, which has no record of fatalities due to the new coronavirus, has a total of 145 cases of Covid-19, 85 of which were registered in the province of Cabo Delgado.

President Filipe Nyusi admitted on Friday the possibility of taking tougher measures under the Covid-19 state of emergency if issues on preventative measures, such as the absence of social distancing. persist.

The state of emergency has been in effect since April 1, having been enacted first until the end of that month and then extended until the end of May.

Africa has seen 2,834 confirmed Covid-19 deaths, with more than 88,000 infected in 54 countries, according to the most recent pandemic statistics.

Among Portuguese-speaking African countries, Guinea-Bissau leads in number of infections (1,032 cases and four deaths), followed by Equatorial Guinea (522 cases and six deaths), Cape Verde (328 cases and three deaths) deaths), São Tomé and Príncipe (246 cases and seven dead), Mozambique (145 cases, no deaths) and Angola (48 infected and two dead).

The Portuguese-speaking country worst affected by the pandemic is Brazil, with more than 254,000 infections and 16,700 deaths.

Source: Lusa