Total claims it remains committed to Mozambique – AIM report

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Total claims it remains committed to Mozambique – AIM report

8:23 CAT | 19 May 2021

Photo: Noticias

The chairperson of the board of directors of the French oil and gas company Total, Patrick Pouyanné , on Monday confirmed that the company remains committed to investing in the Mozambique LNG (liquefied natural gas) project, in the Rovuma Basin, off the coast of the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.

Pouyanne gave this commitment to Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, who has been on a working visit to France since Sunday, at the invitation of his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.

Speaking to the Mozambican reporters accompanying Nyusi, immediately after the meeting, Pouyanné promised that Total is strongly committed to resuming its Mozambican project.

Total heads a consortium that is building natural gas liquefaction plants on the Afungi Peninsula, in the Cabo Delgado district of Palma. The investment in the project, by Total and its partners, is estimated at 20 billion US dollars.

But Total suspended work on the project and withdrew all its staff, in the wake of the attack by islamist terrorists against the town of Palma on 24 March. The social impact of the terrorist raid was devastating, in that it led over 30,000 people to abandon their homes in Palma town and the surrounding area, and to seek shelter in safe areas.

Asked about resuming the Mozambique LNG project, Pouyanne said “Total is very committed to maintaining its project in Mozambique. There was this incident in Palma, which is a question of security. For security reasons, we have had to take difficult measures, but our commitment remains”.

“We want security, particularly for our staff, and that’s why we had to withdraw our staff”, he added. But as soon as the security conditions in Cabo Delgado are restored, “we shall return”.

Pouyanne declared that he has full confidence in the Mozambican government, which is working to restore security.

“Natural gas is in great demand throughout the world”, he said. “It’s an important source of energy, it’s a priority for the planet, and so we remain committed to the Afungi project”.

Other French business leaders who met with Nyusi expressed similar confidence. Frederic Oudea, of the bank Societe Generale, said that, after speaking with the President, he was sure that the bank will maintain its presence in Mozambique, financing various projects, including the Total development of natural gas.

Arnaud Pieton of Technip Energies, which is building a floating natural gas platform that will be anchored off the Cabo Delgado coast, said he had received government guarantees of the efforts under way to restore security in Cabo Delgado, so that projects there can be developed with much greater speed.

Also read: Catering International Services : Private audience with the President of the Republic of Mozambique

Also on Monday, Nyusi held a private meeting in Paris with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa.

On Tuesday, Nyusi was scheduled to meet with Macron, and to attend the Summit on Financing African Economies.