President Nyusi expects decisions on Anadarko gas project by the end of the year

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President Nyusi expects decisions on Anadarko gas project by the end of the year

12:00 CAT | 16 Jun 2017

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President Filipe Nyusi said yesterday that he hopes that US oil company Anadarko decisions on starting natural gas exploration projects in the north of the country will be made by the end of the year.

The head of state, quoted by the Mozambican Information Agency, was speaking at the end of a meeting in Washington with the president of the firm, Al Walker.

The relative delay in Anadarko’s investment, President Nyusi said, has to do with the fact that it involves many stakeholders and that the interests of all parties involved need to be safeguarded.

“We, the government, are not at ease when things do not happen. We prefer them to happen quickly, but cautiously,” and to avoid the mistakes of the past, he said.

In this case, he pointed out the need to take care of issues such as resettlement of people in the area covered by the project and construction of infrastructures.

Anadarko CEO Al Walker told reporters that there were legal issues to be resolved, while expressing optimism that this would happen soon.

Nyusi rated the consensus reached at this and other meetings held in the United States over a three-day official visit that ended yesterday as an important step for the country, and said that details would be presented to the Council of Ministers [cabinet] for discussion.

Another consortium, led by Italy’s Eni, announced earlier this month the start of the development phase of the Coral Sul project to produce liquid natural gas (LNG) in the Rovuma Basin, northern Mozambique, foreseeing the commencement of operations in 2022.

Anadarko is also preparing to invest in the area. The two projects will explore natural gas reservoirs that are among the largest in the world with the potential to create millions of dollars in revenue for Mozambique.

President Nyusi travelled from Washington to Havana for an official visit to Cuba scheduled to ends on Sunday.

Source: Lusa