France's TotalEnergies has further delayed its $20 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Mozambique, citing ongoing security concerns, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

TotalEnergies SE hired a Washington lobbyist to help approve key export financing in an effort to revive its Mozambique liquefied natural gas project, which has been on hold for years due to security threats.

An open letter Wednesday signed by 126 non-governmental organizations urged public and private lending institutions to end financing for a Mozambique liquified natural gas facility being built by France's TotalEnergies.

TotalEnergies (NYSE:TTE) has further delayed plans to restart its $20B liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique, saying the project will not be operational by 2029 as hoped, citing security and political concerns in the country,

TotalEnergies has further delayed its troubled $20bn liquefied natural gas project in Mozambique as security concerns and political uncertainty dog one of Africa’s biggest energy investments.

The setback — first noted by the Financial Times and corroborated by Reuters — follows political instability in Mozambique and the revelation by POLITICO that Mozambican soldiers operating out of TotalEnergies' natural gas plant abducted, raped and killed dozens of civilians.

The $4.7bn EXIM loan awaits reapproval after construction was halted in 2021 due to conflict in Cabo Delgado near the project site.