ExxonMobil has confirmed it retains a 25 percent interest in a significant onshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility planned for Mozambique’s southeastern region, with production anticipated to commence by 2030. The announcement comes as international energy companies cautiously re-engage with the region following years of disruption stemming from security challenges in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
The project falls within Area 4 of Mozambique’s Rovuma Basin and is operated by Mozambique Rovuma Venture, a joint initiative predominantly controlled by a consortium consisting of ExxonMobil, Italy’s ENI, and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), which together hold a combined 70 percent ownership. The remaining shares are equally distributed among South Korea’s KOGAS, the United Arab Emirates’ XRG, and Mozambique’s state-run Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos (ENH), each holding 10 percent.
According to ExxonMobil’s official website, the company is in close coordination with its consortium partners and the Mozambican government to secure both its personnel and infrastructure in the lead-up to the project’s development. Planning for the LNG facility is reported to be near completion, with a final investment decision projected for 2026.
Mozambique’s LNG ambitions have unfolded under the long shadow of a jihadist insurgency in Cabo Delgado that began in 2017 and has claimed more than 6,200 lives, as reported by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), an independent data organisation specialising in conflict zones. A particularly intense offensive in March 2021 resulted in around 800 fatalities and led to the suspension of energy projects by international firms, including the temporary halt of TotalEnergies’ operations.
In a signal of renewed momentum, TotalEnergies declared in October that it had lifted force majeure on its operations and resumed work on its own LNG project in Mozambique following a four-year pause. On the sidelines of this reactivation, Mozambique’s government announced plans to audit economic losses incurred from the suspension. While TotalEnergies’ position has drawn scrutiny from non-governmental organisations concerned with social and environmental impacts, ExxonMobil has not yet indicated whether it too will seek compensation related to delays or operational setbacks.
In a further sign of strategic engagement, ExxonMobil’s chief executive Darren Woods hosted Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi in Houston in October. Describing the discussions as productive, Woods reiterated the company’s commitment to a project that he framed as economically transformational. The meeting underscores the interplay between state-level diplomacy and transnational investment decisions that are shaping Africa’s future energy corridors.
This development marks a pivotal moment not just for Mozambique, but for a broader regional context where natural resource extraction intersects with fragile security dynamics and evolving governance structures. While proponents highlight the potential for job creation, infrastructure development and increased public revenues, civil society actors continue to raise urgent concerns about displacement, militarisation and equitable benefit-sharing. The pan African lens reveals deeper patterns where historical extractive relationships and global capital still play a dominant role in shaping how African energy futures are negotiated.
Mozambique’s LNG sector, rich with geological promise, now finds itself at a crossroads between global energy demand and the human stories unfolding in Cabo Delgado. As the country positions itself within a broader continental push for energy sovereignty and industrial self-determination, the path forward will require balancing growth ambitions with resilience and inclusivity. The development of LNG must be situated within a context that foregrounds community agency, environmental stewardship and a commitment to redefining the legacy of extraction.
