The African Energy Chamber called on Monday, 30 December, for peace and stability in Mozambique, warning of the prosperity that the country can have after unlocking its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production potential.
‘With initiatives underway to restart the 20 billion dollar ‘Mozambique LNG’ project – which has the potential to produce 13.1 million tonnes of LNG for domestic use per year – there has never been a more important time to prioritise peace and stability in Mozambique,’ the organisation said in a statement.
In the statement, the organisation stressed that ‘a unified Mozambique has the potential to unleash long-term prosperity through sustainable development, while attracting crucial international investment in the energy sector’.
‘As the spokesperson for the African energy sector and a strong advocate for Mozambique’s prosperity, the African Energy Chamber fully supports the country’s government and calls for peace, stability and sustainable development as it enters its new era of energy growth,’ it emphasised.
The African Energy Chamber recalled that after the discovery of significant deposits of natural gas off the northern coast of Mozambique in 2010, expectations for the country’s economic prosperity ‘skyrocketed’, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasting 500 billion dollars in total revenues by 2045 and an average real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 24 per cent with LNG exports between 2021 and 2025.
‘In the energy sector, the major companies TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil and Eni are developing integrated LNG projects and, at the same time, new exploration companies are entering the market and gas-to-energy projects are being finalised,’ he added.
‘As the mouthpiece of the African energy sector and a strong advocate for Mozambique’s prosperity, the African Energy Chamber fully supports the country’s government and calls for peace, stability and sustainable development as it enters its new era of energy growth’
In addition, the organisation described that projects such as Coral Sul LNG, the Rovuma LNG facility and the Temane Gas-to-Energy Plant ‘have the potential to attract billions of dollars in investment and revenue, while providing stable energy to more than two million families by 2030’.
‘The country represents one of the most dynamic gas markets on the African continent, where its extensive offshore gas reserves could make it one of the world’s top ten producers and responsible for up to 20 per cent of Africa’s production by 2040,’ he said.
On the other hand, he recalled that, in geopolitical terms, these industrialisation efforts ‘have the potential to benefit the entire southern African region and could turn the country into an energy hub for neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Eswatini and South Africa’.
However, for Mozambique to realise its vast potential, ‘it is essential’ that it ‘remains firmly committed to political stability and sustainable development’, the Chamber stressed.
‘A commitment to peace will not only ensure the success of multi-billion dollar energy projects, but will also guarantee long-term prosperity, boosting the sustainable growth of Mozambique and the entire southern African region,’ he said.
‘The government must find a consensus and define terms that turn into long-term benefits for the entire population of the country,’ he emphasised.
The contestation of the results of the last general elections on 9 October led to clashes between demonstrators and the police, which have left at least 277 people dead, according to the electoral platform Decide.
