Mozambique LNG : appel à se retirer du projet de TotalEnergies

The document argues that the Mozambique LNG project is disastrous, citing fatal human rights failures during the 2021 Palma attack, the displacement of hundreds of families without adequate compensation, and the continued instability in Cabo Delgado. It claims the project offers little economic benefit to Mozambique, utilizes tax avoidance schemes, and threatens local biodiversity and global climate goals by producing billions of tonnes of CO2 equivalent over its lifecycle. The authors call on financing banks and agencies to conduct an independent reassessment and cease support for this and other planned gas projects in Mozambique.

• The project is linked to severe human rights failures, specifically during the March 24, 2021, attack on Palma, where TotalEnergies allegedly prioritised the security of its Afungi site over civilians and failed to implement an evacuation plan. An independent investigation by Alex Perry estimated that 1,193 people were killed or missing and 209 were kidnapped.
• The project has caused significant displacement and poverty; 586 families were displaced for the Afungi park installations, and 1,847 families were affected by agricultural compensation processes. Compensation payments were interrupted following the declaration of force majeure in April 2021.
• Despite claims by TotalEnergies that security is under control, the authors assert that Cabo Delgado remains unstable, citing attacks in September and October 2023 in Mocímboa da Praia and Macomia that displaced thousands of people.
• The project is described as economically detrimental to Mozambique, with the company allegedly using a shell company in the United Arab Emirates to avoid up to 1.45 billion dollars in taxes. Furthermore, over 90% of the produced gas is intended for export to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, providing little local energy access.
• The project poses a significant threat to the global climate and local ecosystems, including the UNESCO biosphere reserve Quirimbas National Park. It is estimated that the project will produce between 3.3 and 4.5 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent over its lifecycle, with annual emissions potentially increasing Mozambique's total contribution by 10%.
• The authors demand that the 28 financing institutions—including private banks like JP Morgan and public agencies like US EXIM and JBIC—undertake an independent reassessment, withdraw from Mozambique LNG, and exclude support for other planned projects such as Rovuma LNG and Coral North FLNG.

APA

Martin, L. (2023). Mozambique LNG : appel à se retirer du projet de TotalEnergies. Reclaim Finance. https://reclaimfinance.org/site/2023/11/17/mozambique-lng-appel-a-se-retirer-du-projet-de-totalenergies/

Chicago

Martin, Léo. Mozambique LNG : appel à se retirer du projet de TotalEnergies. Reclaim Finance, 2023. https://reclaimfinance.org/site/2023/11/17/mozambique-lng-appel-a-se-retirer-du-projet-de-totalenergies/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Martin |first1=Léo |title=Mozambique LNG : appel à se retirer du projet de TotalEnergies |publisher=Reclaim Finance |date=17 November 2023 |url=https://reclaimfinance.org/site/2023/11/17/mozambique-lng-appel-a-se-retirer-du-projet-de-totalenergies/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{martin2023mozambique, author = {Martin, Léo}, title = {{Mozambique LNG : appel à se retirer du projet de TotalEnergies}}, publisher = {Reclaim Finance}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://reclaimfinance.org/site/2023/11/17/mozambique-lng-appel-a-se-retirer-du-projet-de-totalenergies/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }