TotalEnergies plans to install a 7.1-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic plant in Cabo Delgado, northern Mozambique, as part of the ongoing construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) production unit, according to a tender launched today.
The project forms part of a request for expressions of interest (EOI) for engineering, construction and procurement services. The plant will be installed in Afungi, within the Area 1 LNG megaproject operated by the Mozambique LNG consortium, led by TotalEnergies.
The plant will be composed of “approximately 13,224 photovoltaic modules”, already acquired and to be installed by the company to be contracted — which will also be responsible for its operation — in an area of approximately 6.5 hectares.
The president of TotalEnergies said in February that the French oil major plans to support the development of local electricity projects in Africa, citing the possibility of exporting gas from Mozambique to South Africa.
“One can imagine bringing liquefied natural gas to a terminal in southern Mozambique, building a gas-fired power plant and exporting electricity [to South Africa], while also using part of the energy for Mozambique,” said Patrick Pouyanné, during the presentation of annual results.
“We need to find a good balance between exports and local development,” Pouyanné said, adding that TotalEnergies should “contribute to energy supply on the continent”.
The Mozambique LNG consortium officially resumed construction of the LNG production and export project in Afungi Bay on 29 January, after operations had been suspended since April 2021, when TotalEnergies invoked force majeure due to terrorist attacks.
Four and a half years later, in October 2025, after international financing for the project was reconfirmed and citing improved security conditions in the area, TotalEnergies — lead partner in Area 1 of the Rovuma Basin consortium — lifted the force majeure clause and began the process of resuming operations.
TotalEnergies indicates that the first LNG delivery from the first production line in Afungi has been postponed from July 2024, as previously planned before the suspension, to the first half of 2029.
Mozambique has three approved megaprojects for the development of LNG reserves in the Rovuma Basin, considered among the largest in the world, offshore Cabo Delgado. These include the TotalEnergies project and another by ExxonMobil (18 million tonnes per year), valued at US$30 billion (€26.1 billion), which is awaiting a final investment decision, both located in the Afungi peninsula.
Also included is Italy’s Eni, which has been producing since 2022 at the Coral Sul floating platform, with output of around seven mtpa. This will be doubled from 2028 with a second Coral Norte platform, in a US$7.2 billion (€6.2 billion) investment, with a third unit also planned.
Source: Lusa
