TotalEnergies Breaks Ground on $20-Billion Mozambique LNG Project
After over five years of disruption, TotalEnergies' $20-billion Mozambique LNG project has finally taken its first tangible step towards physical execution. The Stingray pipeline barge has begun installing offshore infrastructure in Palma Bay, Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique. This marks the start of a broader offshore campaign that will lay five gas pipelines across a 17.7-kilometre corridor to connect Area 1, the project's production block, to the Afungi liquefaction facilities onshore.
The Palma Bay installation is just the first phase of this effort, with a deepwater component planned for the second quarter of 2027. TotalEnergies aims to reach first LNG production in 2029, which will position Mozambique alongside Tanzania and South Africa as a significant node in Africa's growing natural gas export infrastructure.
The project has mobilized over 4,000 workers, highlighting its potential employment impact on the region. The project was suspended in April 2021 due to armed insecurity around Palma, which dealt a significant blow to Mozambique's ambitions as an LNG exporter.