Mozambique needs less haste, less speed
Bureaucracy, financing problems and last-minute wrangles are slowing Rovuma Basin projects
Mozambique's government infrastructure is creaking under the strain of managing one of the world's most ambitious hydrocarbons provinces. The severely understaffed oil regulator, Instituto Nacional de Petróleo (INP), has been working flat out to finalise agreements aimed at getting long-delayed offshore Rovuma Basin gas projects underway, while also negotiating the allocation of new exploration blocks and awarding downstream gas monetisation projects. Meanwhile, the energy ministry has had to adapt to a new leader, following the replacement of the highly respected Pedro Couto as energy minister by Leticia Klemens last October. Klemens was a surprising and inexperienced pick, whose profession

Also in this section
21 February 2025
While large-scale planned LNG schemes in sub-Saharan Africa have faced fresh problems, FLNG projects are stepping into that space
20 February 2025
Greater social mobility means increased global demand for refined fuels and petrochemical products, with Asia leading the way in the expansion of refining capacity
19 February 2025
The EU would do well to ease its gas storage requirements to avoid heavy purchase costs this summer, with the targets having created market distortion while giving sellers a significant advantage over buyers
18 February 2025
Deliveries to China decline by around 1m b/d from move to curb crude exports to Shandong port, putting Iran under further economic pressure