Mozambique and TotalEnergies have formally restarted the French major’s $20 billion LNG project, nearly five years after operations were halted following a deadly Islamist militant attack.
In a statement on Thursday, the office of President Daniel Chapo said the restart would be marked at the project site on the country’s northern coast, with senior government officials and company executives in attendance.
The $20 billion development will be the largest gas project in Africa once completed.
Earlier in November 2025, Total lifted its force majeure on the facility, allowing workers to return to the field that was shut down in 2021.
TotalEnergies also confirmed that its Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Pouyanne, would attend the ceremony.
Pouyanne has previously indicated that the project is expected to be completed in 2029, noting that costs may have increased due to the prolonged delay.
“You will see a massive ramp-up in activity in the coming months. A first offshore vessel has already been mobilized to begin installing the offshore infrastructure,” Pouyanne said in Afungi, near the project site, on Thursday.
Work on the project was suspended in early 2021 after an escalation of Islamic State linked violence in Cabo Delgado province forced the evacuation of workers and contractors.
Although several restart timelines were discussed in the years that followed, security concerns continued to slow progress despite military support from Rwanda and regional forces.
Why the Mozambique LNG project was halted
The LNG development is located near Palma, an area that became a focal point of insurgent attacks in 2021, disrupting energy operations and local communities.
TotalEnergies and its partners declared force majeure at the time, citing the inability to guarantee the safety of personnel and assets.
The decision effectively froze construction on a plant designed to produce 13.1 million tons of LNG per year, delaying Mozambique’s entry into the global LNG market.
Beyond security risks, the pause deepened fiscal pressure on the Mozambican government, which had expected gas revenues to support public spending and debt servicing.
Since the suspension, authorities have worked to restore stability in the region, allowing companies to gradually reassess long term investment plans.
The government has repeatedly pointed to improved security conditions as a key factor behind the decision to allow construction to resume.
What the restart means for Mozambique and investors
The LNG plant is now scheduled to ship its first cargoes in 2029, placing Mozambique among a group of emerging LNG exporters over the next decade. Officials expect the project to generate billions of dollars in state revenue over its lifetime, offering relief to a country that has struggled to meet financial obligations.
The restart also coincides with forecasts from the International Energy Agency that global LNG supply will reach record levels later this decade.
In addition, Exxon Mobil Corporation plans to reach a final investment decision later this year on a separate LNG project nearby with a capacity of eighteen million tons per year.
Mozambique has already taken its first steps as a gas exporter after Italian Eni shipped its initial LNG cargo in 2022 from the Coral Sul floating production unit.
Eni has since begun work on a second floating LNG facility, which is expected to lift offshore production to about seven million tons annually.
Together, these projects place Mozambique at the centre of East Africa’s gas ambitions, following years of delays and financial setbacks.
For now, the resumption of TotalEnergies’ project signals a return of large scale energy development to a region that had seen investment stall for most of the decade.
