Mozambique holds some of the largest natural-gas discoveries of the 21st century, locked in the offshore Rovuma Basin off the country's far north. Those reserves could support long-term LNG export capacity on the order of 50 MTPA or more if all the planned projects proceed — enough to transform one of the world's poorest economies. The first cargoes are already flowing from a floating plant offshore, but the bulk of the prize sits onshore in Cabo Delgado province, where an Islamist insurgency has caused violence, displacement, and project delays. Mozambique's LNG story is therefore a study in extraordinary resource potential set against an unusually difficult security backdrop.
A 21st-century gas discovery
For most of its history Mozambique was not on the global gas map. That changed dramatically around 2010, when exploration in the deepwater Rovuma Basin, off the coast of the northern province of Cabo Delgado, revealed enormous accumulations of natural gas. The finds rank among the largest discovered anywhere in the world this century, and they immediately reframed Mozambique — long one of the poorest countries on earth — as a potential major LNG exporter.
The gas lies offshore in deep water and must be either piped to onshore liquefaction plants or processed at sea on a floating facility. International oil majors hold the operating roles, with the state-owned national company ENH (Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos) participating as a partner. Three flagship developments emerged from the discovery: a floating LNG plant operated by Eni, a large onshore project led by TotalEnergies, and a still larger onshore project led by ExxonMobil with Eni. Together they define the country's LNG ambitions.
The three flagship projects
Mozambique's LNG build-out is organised around three distinct projects, all drawing on Rovuma Basin gas but at very different stages of maturity. One is producing, one is suspended and working toward restart, and one remains in development.
| Project | Type | Capacity (MTPA) | Lead operator | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coral Sul FLNG | Floating (offshore) | ~3.4 | Eni | Producing since 2022 |
| Mozambique LNG | Onshore | ~13 | TotalEnergies | Force majeure (2021); working toward restart |
| Rovuma LNG | Onshore | Larger (in development) | ExxonMobil / Eni | In development |
The floating-first approach: By processing gas on a vessel moored above the field, Coral Sul FLNG sidestepped much of the onshore construction and security exposure that has held up the larger land-based plants. It became Mozambique's first source of LNG and a demonstration that the country's gas could reach world markets.
Coral Sul FLNG: the first cargoes
The Eni-operated Coral Sul facility is a floating LNG (FLNG) plant with a capacity of roughly 3.4 MTPA, anchored offshore in the Rovuma Basin above the Coral gas field. It began producing in 2022 and delivered Mozambique's first-ever LNG cargo — a landmark moment for the country and for African gas more broadly.
Floating LNG made strategic sense here. Building a vessel in a shipyard and towing it to the field avoided the need to land the gas at a coastal terminal close to the insurgency-affected areas, shortening the exposure to onshore security and logistics risk. See liquefaction technology for how floating and onshore plants chill gas to its liquid form, and LNG projects for how FLNG fits into the wider project landscape.
Mozambique LNG and the 2021 force majeure
The largest near-term prize is the onshore Mozambique LNG project led by TotalEnergies, designed at roughly 13 MTPA and located at Afungi on the Cabo Delgado coast. Construction was well advanced when, in 2021, a deadly insurgent attack near the project site forced the company to suspend work and declare force majeure.
Force majeure is a contractual mechanism that releases parties from obligations when extraordinary events beyond their control make performance impossible — in this case, the security situation. Since then the operator has worked toward a restart, conditioning a return to construction on a sufficiently improved and stable security environment. The timing of any full resumption has remained a closely watched question for the global LNG market, given the scale of the volumes involved.
Rovuma LNG: the larger onshore prize
The third project, Rovuma LNG, is led by ExxonMobil together with Eni and is larger than the TotalEnergies development. It remains in the development phase, drawing on separate fields within the same offshore basin. Like the TotalEnergies project, it is an onshore scheme and so is exposed to the same security and infrastructure considerations in Cabo Delgado.
If Rovuma LNG advances alongside the other two projects, the combined capacity would lift Mozambique into the ranks of the world's leading LNG exporters — comparable in ambition to established African producers. For context on another major African exporter facing its own above-ground challenges, see Nigeria LNG.
The Cabo Delgado security challenge
The central risk to Mozambique's LNG industry is not geology or markets but security. Since the late 2010s, northern Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province — the very region where the onshore plants are sited — has faced an Islamist insurgency. The violence has caused civilian deaths, large-scale displacement of local communities, and direct delays to the gas projects, most visibly the 2021 force majeure.
This is a sober humanitarian situation as much as a commercial one. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced over the course of the conflict, and the human cost is the foreground concern. Regional and international security forces have been involved in efforts to stabilise the area, and the pace of LNG development has been tied closely to whether that stabilisation can be sustained. For investors and operators, the security environment determines whether the onshore projects can be completed; for Mozambicans, it determines whether the promised economic benefits ever materialise.
What is at stake for the economy
Mozambique is among the world's poorest countries, and the Rovuma gas represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity. At full development the LNG industry could generate substantial export revenue, government royalties, and tax receipts, potentially reshaping public finances and funding development. The national company ENH holds equity stakes that give the state a direct share of the upside.
The risks cut both ways, however. Resource booms can bring volatility, debt, and governance strain — and the benefits only flow if the projects are actually built and the surrounding region is stable enough for local communities to share in them. The gap between the scale of the resource and the difficulty of safely extracting it is the defining feature of Mozambique's LNG outlook.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mozambique already exporting LNG?
Yes. The Eni-operated Coral Sul floating LNG facility, with a capacity of about 3.4 MTPA, began producing in 2022 and shipped Mozambique's first-ever LNG cargo. The much larger onshore projects led by TotalEnergies and by ExxonMobil and Eni are still being developed.
Why did the TotalEnergies Mozambique LNG project stop?
TotalEnergies declared force majeure on its roughly 13 MTPA onshore project in 2021 after a deadly insurgent attack near the construction site at Afungi in Cabo Delgado province. Work was suspended on security grounds, and the company has since worked toward a restart as the security situation is reassessed.
How big could Mozambique's LNG industry become?
The offshore Rovuma Basin holds some of the largest natural-gas discoveries of the 21st century. If Coral Sul, the TotalEnergies project, and the ExxonMobil-led Rovuma LNG project all proceed, long-term export potential could be on the order of 50 MTPA or more, which would place Mozambique among the world's leading exporters.
What is the security risk in Cabo Delgado?
Northern Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province, where the onshore LNG projects are located, has faced an Islamist insurgency that has caused violence, large-scale displacement of civilians, and delays to the gas projects. Security remains the central risk to the country's LNG ambitions.
Key takeaways
- The offshore Rovuma Basin holds some of the largest gas discoveries of the 21st century, with 50+ MTPA of long-term export potential
- Coral Sul FLNG (~3.4 MTPA, Eni) began producing in 2022 and delivered Mozambique's first LNG
- TotalEnergies' ~13 MTPA onshore project declared force majeure in 2021 and has been working toward restart
- ExxonMobil and Eni's larger Rovuma LNG onshore project remains in development
- An insurgency in Cabo Delgado has caused violence, displacement, and delays — security is the central risk
- Success could transform one of the world's poorest economies, with national company ENH as a partner to the majors