Exxon's project in Cabo Delgado, a province in northern Mozambique that has been affected by terrorist attacks for almost seven years, initially estimated that it would produce 15,2 million tons of gas per year, but the company currently expects annual production of 18 million tons.

“We announced our FEED — Front End Engineering Design, our cutting-edge engineering and design [of the project] and that takes about a year.”

“We therefore look forward to progress on FEED over the next 12 to 13 months.”

ExxonMobil's vice president for foreign relations said this in statements to journalists after meeting in New York with the President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, who is concluding a visit to the United States of America (USA) today.

In August, the Mozambican President said that ExxonMobil expected to make a decision on the natural gas extraction project in Northern Mozambique only in 2026.

The head of state who received, on August 14, in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, the president of ExxonMobil Upstream, Liam Mallon, explained at the time that he discussed with the head of the North American oil company “progress on the LNG project” in the Rovuma basin, in Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country.

“We have focused our discussions on the initial engineering phase of the project, with plans now to finalize approvals and make the Final Investment Decision by 2026.”

"Presenting significant progress, it was reiterated that this project will be one of the least polluting initiatives and has the potential for a promising future in the liquefied natural gas sector," Nyusi explained.

ExxonMobil's general director in Mozambique, Arne Gibbs, had advanced, on May 03, the possibility of the investment decision being made at the end of 2025.

“We are optimistic, we are moving forward, but we recognize that there are still challenges.”

The official said, advancing the Final Investment Decision only to the end of next year.

Gibbs' statements came in the same week that the President of Mozambique said that financing is not a reason to delay the implementation of the natural gas megaprojects, led by France's TotalEnergies and the US's ExxonMobil.

“This [moving forward with the projects] is essential, because it cannot be a financial decision-making issue, now, associated with the terrorist situation.”

"This project already existed, it's long-standing. This means there was clarity in its execution."

“It cannot be left aground for this reason so others must be sought.”

He criticized Filipe Nyusi during the 10th edition of the Mozambique Mining and Energy Conference and Exhibition.

Specifically, he appealed to the concessionaires of Area 1, led by TotalEnergies, who, faced with the “gradual promising stability” on the Afungi peninsula, Palma district, Cabo Delgado, “accelerate the development of the resumption of onshore projects” and that, in Area 4, onshore led by ExxonMobil, “accelerate the process leading to the Final Investment Decision, with the necessary adjustments to the Development Plan approved in 2018".

In the same speech at the conference, the Head of State of Mozambique stated that the “delay“in the implementation of this type of projects”causes problems“, because the “countries' expectations are huge"and "people start to think that part of their problem may be solved".

In previous statements, Arne Gibbs confirmed that the oil company had completed preliminary engineering and design work on the 18 million tonnes per year project in the Rovuma basin and that the group of engineers and designers would begin the project “In the next months".

Regarding the insurgency that halted construction in March 2021, Gibbs commented:

“There have been significant improvements in the security situation since we began in 2021, and we know there is still more work to be done.”

The Rovuma LNG project will be “the largest liquefied natural gas project in Africa and may be the largest project in African history“, Gibbs added.

Mozambique has three approved development projects to exploit the natural gas reserves of the Rovuma Basin, ranked among the largest in the world, off the coast of Cabo Delgado.