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Mozambique Approves Anadarko's $20 Billion Natural Gas Plan

Mozambique Approves Anadarko's $20 Billion Natural Gas Plan

(Bloomberg) -- Mozambique’s council of ministers approved the development plan for Anadarko Petroleum Corp.’s liquefied natural-gas project in the north of the nation, an investment estimated at about $20 billion.

The government announced the decision in a statement on Tuesday. The next major requirement that the Anadarko-led consortium has to meet before reaching a final investment decision on the Area 1 project is to sign enough sales and purchase agreements, according to the company.

Anadarko and its partners have agreed the price and volumes for 5.1 million metric tons a year of gas production, out of the 8.5 million tons required to reach financial close, the company said in a statement Tuesday. During the last quarter of 2017, it signed an agreement with Tohoku Electric Power Co. of Japan to sell it gas.

Anadarko said it’s already started resettling communities from the land where it plans to build its liquefied natural-gas plant.

Mozambique Approves Anadarko's $20 Billion Natural Gas Plan

Exxon Mobil Corp. and Eni SpA are developing another gas project near Anadarko’s. The development of Mozambique’s gas deposits could make the southeastern African nation the world’s fourth-biggest natural gas exporter.

--With assistance from Paul Burkhardt

To contact the reporters on this story: Matthew Hill in Johannesburg at mhill58@bloomberg.net, Borges Nhamire in Maputo at bnhamire@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net, Pauline Bax, Andre Janse van Vuuren

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