Mozambique: Total’s LNG logistics transport 174 tons of food to area Jan.- Oct.

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Mozambique: Total’s LNG logistics transport 174 tons of food to area Jan.- Oct.

4:00 CAT | 29 Oct 2020

File photo: Lusa

The logistics serving the works of Total’s natural gas industrial complex in northern Mozambique has already transported 174 tons of food to the district of Palma, whose land links have been cut by terrorists and cyclones.

“Between January and October, we have transported over 1.5 million litres of fuel, 174 tons of food, 104 tons of educational material and 4.2 tons of medical supplies to the north of Cabo Delgado,” said Ronan Bescond, Total’s director general in Mozambique today.

He was speaking during the Mozambique Natural Gas Summit, which is being held today and Thursday via the internet.

Bescond described the logistics underway, namely what was supposed to be primarily a temporary sea route for the works – after dredging and the creation of a berthing area near the Afungi peninsula, where the venture was born.

But the open road also turned out to be “a vital link for the district of Palma”, where the project is located.

Natural disasters destroyed in 2019 the bridges of the only paved road that linked that area to the rest of the country, leaving poor roads which became the target of armed rebels who attacked the region three years ago, with greater intensity since January.

“While we are proud to provide this support, it is not a viable, long-term solution for a district that should have huge growth in sight,” thanks to the undertaking led by Total – the largest private investment in Africa, valued at between 20 and 25 billion euros.

“Security infrastructures and resilience are fundamental to the project and to economic activity,” he said.

“A safe environment and a robust road network are pre-conditions for the [Area 1] project to fulfil its promise to catalyse the growth and development of Palma district and the country,” Bescond added.

On August 24, Total announced a revision of the memorandum of understanding with the Mozambican government for a joint security force to protect the project.

In clarifications to Lusa, the French oil company noted that “the revision reflects the increase in activities during the construction phase and the mobilisation of a greater workforce.

The construction of the Area 1 project is expected to be completed by 2024, the year in which production is expected to begin.

Mozambique faces a humanitarian crisis in Cabo Delgado province where a three-year armed insurgency has already caused between 1,000 and 2,000 deaths and 435,000 displaced people.

Source: Lusa