TotalEnergies plans to install a 7.1-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic solar plant in Afungi, in Cabo Delgado province, as part of the ongoing construction of the Mozambique LNG liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility, according to a tender for expressions of interest launched this Tuesday, June 30.
According to Lusa, through this procedure the company is seeking to contract engineering, construction, procurement, and operation services for the future plant, which will be installed within the Area 1 LNG megaproject in the Rovuma Basin, developed by the Mozambique LNG consortium led by TotalEnergies.
The tender states that the plant will consist of “approximately 13,224 photovoltaic modules,” already purchased by TotalEnergies, which will be installed by the selected contractor, who will also be responsible for operating the facility. The panels will be installed “over an area of approximately 6.5 hectares.”
In February, TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné stated that the French oil company aims to support the development of local power generation projects in Africa, citing Mozambique as an example of this strategy. “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,” he said during the company’s annual results presentation.
On the same occasion, he argued that “we need to find a good balance between exports and local development,” 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 the Afungi bay on January 29, after it had been suspended since April 2021 when TotalEnergies invoked the “force majeure” clause due to terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado.
Four and a half years later, in October 2025, after international financing for the project was reconfirmed and citing improved security conditions in the region, TotalEnergies—leader of the Area 1 Rovuma Basin consortium—lifted the force majeure clause and began the process of resuming works.
TotalEnergies now expects the first LNG delivery from the first production line in Afungi to take place in the first half of 2029. Before the suspension, this start-up had been scheduled for July 2024.
Mozambique currently has three approved megaprojects for the development of natural gas reserves in the Rovuma Basin, considered among the largest in the world. In addition to Mozambique LNG, led by TotalEnergies, this group includes ExxonMobil’s project, with a planned capacity of 18 million tons per year (mtpa) and an estimated investment of 30 billion US dollars, which is still awaiting a final investment decision, both located in the Afungi peninsula.
These are joined by the Coral Sul FLNG project, operated by Italy’s Eni, which has been producing since 2022 around seven million tons per year from the Coral Sul floating platform. The project is set to expand from 2028 with the Coral Norte platform, in a 7.2 billion US dollar investment, and a third unit is also planned.
Source: Diário Económico
