TotalEnergies force majeure can now be lifted – Chapo

Mozambique President Daniel Chapo said on Thursday that the conditions have been met for French energy company TotalEnergies to lift force majeure on its $20bn liquefied natural gas project in the country. TotalEnergies halted work on its Mozambique LNG project in 2021 after an Islamist militant attack. It forecasts the 13m metric ton-per-year project will come online in 2029, around five years later than initially expected, according to the Club of Mozambique. 'Conditions are met for the lifting of force majeure, and we await the pronouncement of the concession holder shortly,' Chapo said at a ceremony where Italian firm Eni and its partners took a final investment decision on another gas project in Mozambique. TotalEnergies declined to comment on Chapo’s comments. For TotalEnergies, the world’s second-largest listed LNG player, the mega project offers a chance to narrow the lead of rival Shell as global demand for gas surges and Western buyers seek to avoid Russian gas.