Construction of the $20 billion Mozambique LNG project is expected to resume by the end of the summer, four years after operations were suspended due to a deteriorating security situation in the country’s northern Cabo Delgado province.

The project, led by TotalEnergies and engineered by Italian contractor Saipem, has been under force majeure since 2021, when Islamic State-affiliated militants attacked the town of Palma near the LNG site, forcing a halt to all on-the-ground activity.

Saipem CEO Alessandro Puliti said Thursday that preparatory steps for resuming construction are underway and that lifting force majeure is among the steps anticipated in the coming months. “The restart is made of a progression of activities that will take place this summer,” Puliti said, as quoted by Reuters. He added that much of the project’s equipment is being shipped to the site by sea, primarily for logistical reasons.

The Mozambique LNG project was once touted as Africa’s largest single foreign direct investment. Its timeline has been repeatedly pushed back amid ongoing violence and political instability, with initial plans to restart work in 2024 delayed following contested national elections and continued unrest in the region.

TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné also expressed optimism in June, stating that construction should resume this summer, subject to improved security conditions.

First production from the project, originally targeted for 2027, is now expected in 2029.