French Energy Giant Revives Mozambique Gas Project Halted by Jihadist Attack

The CEO of French energy company TotalEnergies has officially restarted a major natural gas project in Mozambique. The project was frozen in 2021 following a deadly jihadist attack near its site. Patrick Pouyanné announced the decision during a visit to the African nation on Thursday. The project, known as Mozambique LNG, aims to tap into one of the world's largest untapped gas reserves. Operations were suspended three years ago after an insurgent attack forced TotalEnergies to declare "force majeure." This legal term means extreme circumstances prevented the company from fulfilling its contracts. The restart signals improved security in the northern Cabo Delgado province. The area has seen violence from an Islamic State-linked insurgency since 2017. The multi-billion dollar project is central to Mozambique's economic ambitions. It is designed to extract, cool, and export natural gas found offshore.