The oil company TotalEnergies postponed by two more years, to 2026, the forecast production of liquefied natural gas in Cabo Delgado, the northern part of the country under armed conflict, according to the latest information to investors.

"Mozambique LNG (liquefied natural gas): postponed to 2026," reads the document released on Tuesday and consulted on Wednesday by Lusa.

The previous forecast was for 2024, but the terrorist occupation of the village of Palma, in the vicinity of the project's construction work, in late March led to the suspension of the Total-led venture.

At the time, the company pointed to a one-year shutdown, returning when safety was guaranteed.

Adriano Maleiane, Mozambique's Minister of Economy and Finance, said Wednesday at the Forum on Resilience in Africa, in Abidjan, that the recovery may even happen sooner.

After the resumption of activity, the main civil construction and technology installation works should begin, and the first shipment of gas by sea, opening the doors to the project's revenues, is now planned by the oil company itself for 2026.

The venture is the largest ongoing private investment in Africa, to the tune of $25 billion.

Cabo Delgado province is rich in natural gas, but terrorized since 2017 by armed rebels, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.

The conflict has already caused more than 3,100 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project, and more than 817,000 displaced people, figures from the Mozambican authorities.

Lusa Agency