BEIJING, May 20 (Reuters) - TotalEnergies will

seek Mozambique's approval to lift a force majeure declaration

on its $20-billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project there and

resume construction by mid-summer, Chief Executive Patrick

Pouyanne said on Tuesday.

Covered by force majeure since 2021, following insurgent

attacks, the project includes development of the Golfinho and

Atum natural gas fields in the Offshore Area 1 concession and

the building of a two-train liquefaction plant.

"The security situation has improved," Pouyanne told Reuters

on the sidelines of the World Gas conference. "It will be up to

the government of Mozambique to approve lifting of this force

majeure."

The plant will have a capacity of 13.12 million metric tons

per year (tpy).

Total is the operator with a stake of 26.5%, followed by

Mitsui & Co ( MITSF ) with 20%, while Mozambique's state-owned

ENH has 15%. Indian state firms and Thailand's PTTEP own the

rest.

In the Pacific island of Papua New Guinea, the French energy

major is also looking at reducing the capital expenditure of its

LNG project by 20% to 25%, Pouyanne said.

The second major gas project in the impoverished nation, the

5.4-million-metric-tpy Papua LNG is a joint venture of

TotalEnergies, Exxon Mobil ( XOM ), Santos and

state-owned Kumul Petroleum.