The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy on Wednesday defended the resumption of the natural gas production project by the consortium led by French oil company TotalEnergies as soon as possible, pointing out that the safety conditions are in place.

According to Carlos Zacarias, who was speaking on the sidelines of the ministry's eighth coordinating council, which is taking place in the city of Lichinga, Niassa province, northern Mozambique, "at the moment, the government and TotalEnergies are working to ensure that the development of the natural gas project in Area 1 of the Rovuma basin, northern Mozambique, is reactivated as soon as possible".

"There are very clear signs that the safety conditions are in place," said the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy.

Quoted by Lusa, the minister said he could not give a specific date for the return of the TotalEnergies consortium to work on setting up the plant, but emphasized that the resumption would be as soon as possible.

"Naturally, we're not going to talk about a specific date, as there are more variables and more components that have to be ensured," Carlos Zacarias stressed.

According to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, contacts are being made with TotalEnergies so that small and medium-sized Mozambican companies can make the most of the business opportunities that will be generated when the consortium returns to Palma.

It should be remembered that the consortium led by the French oil company activated the "force majeure" clause, suspending construction work on the plant that will produce liquefied natural gas, after an attack by armed insurgents on the Palma district, near the perimeter of the project, on March 24, 2021.