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European Union Expects a Resumption of Natural Gas Investments “Within Months”

European Union Expects a Resumption of Natural Gas Investments “Within Months”

The ambassador of the European Union (EU) in Mozambique believes that within “months” there will be security in Cabo Delgado for the return of large investments associated with natural gas, he said in an interview to Lusa.

When asked if Mozambique risks losing the opportunity to profit from the gas reserves in the Rovuma basin if it takes years to solve the armed insurgency in the region, António Gaspar said he prefers to talk “in months rather than years” until the “normalization” of life in Cabo Delgado begins.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Cabo Delgado “is much safer, no doubt,” he said, since troops from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) began supporting Mozambican forces in 2021.

The EU is monitoring the situation and maintaining contacts, in coordination with SAMIM (SADC military mission) and the Rwandan military, which now point to “more sporadic attacks” by the rebels that have plagued the region for four and a half years.

“It doesn’t mean that the situation is completely under control. We can’t let our guard down, but it has improved a lot and the work that is being done by these forces, with Mozambique, is already giving results.”

Be that as it may, “there is a lot of long-term work” because “there may be mixing of insurgents with the population, the borders [with Tanzania] are still porous,” among “many other reasons.”

“But I am optimistic,” António Gaspar emphasizes.

The return of oil company TotalEnergies, leader of the gas investing consortium, is not in doubt, he said, “it’s a question of [knowing] when. I personally have no doubt” about the return of projects to the Afungi peninsula, suspended a year ago after an attack on the town of Palma.

“It is those investors and above all Total that has to decide, with all the guarantees. It is true that last time, the attacks near Afungi were a shock” and the companies “had to suspend” operations, said Antonio Gaspar.

“Now, they want to return with all the guarantees,” he adds. “I think Mozambique’s gas, in the current context, with the EU’s strategic need to drastically reduce and end dependence on hydrocarbons from Russia” gets a new opportunity.

While anticipating that within months life will begin to return to normal, António Gaspar believes that this will happen safely throughout the territory.European Union Expects a Resumption of Natural Gas Investments Within “Months

The ambassador of the European Union (EU) in Mozambique believes that within “months” there will be security in Cabo Delgado for the return of large investments associated with natural gas, he said in an interview to Lusa.

When asked if Mozambique risks losing the opportunity to profit from the gas reserves in the Rovuma basin if it takes years to solve the armed insurgency in the region, António Gaspar said he prefers to talk “in months rather than years” until the “normalization” of life in Cabo Delgado begins.

Cabo Delgado “is much safer, no doubt,” he said, since troops from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) began supporting Mozambican forces in 2021.

The EU is monitoring the situation and maintaining contacts, in coordination with SAMIM (SADC military mission) and the Rwandan military, which now point to “more sporadic attacks” by the rebels that have plagued the region for four and a half years.

“It doesn’t mean that the situation is completely under control. We can’t let our guard down, but it has improved a lot and the work that is being done by these forces, with Mozambique, is already giving results.”

Be that as it may, “there is a lot of long-term work” because “there may be mixing of insurgents with the population, the borders [with Tanzania] are still porous,” among “many other reasons.”

“But I am optimistic,” António Gaspar emphasizes.

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The return of oil company TotalEnergies, leader of the gas investing consortium, is not in doubt, he said, “it’s a question of [knowing] when. I personally have no doubt” about the return of projects to the Afungi peninsula, suspended a year ago after an attack on the town of Palma.

“It is those investors and above all Total that has to decide, with all the guarantees. It is true that last time, the attacks near Afungi were a shock” and the companies “had to suspend” operations, said Antonio Gaspar.

“Now, they want to return with all the guarantees,” he adds. “I think Mozambique’s gas, in the current context, with the EU’s strategic need to drastically reduce and end dependence on hydrocarbons from Russia” gets a new opportunity.

While he foresees life beginning to return to normal within months, António Gaspar believes that this will happen safely throughout the territory.

The EU ambassador thinks that “there will be no risk of double security”, tighter in the area of the gas projects (Palma and Mocímboa da Praia districts) and less demanding in the rest of the province.

“Cabo Delgado is big, but it is not the Sahel, it is not that space of millions of kilometers where there is no state administration. In Mozambique, the State administration reaches all places in the country”, he concludes.

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.

There are 784,000 internally displaced people due to the conflict, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and about 4,000 deaths, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.

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