By BIBIAN BARRENG
OIL Search and PNG Sustainable Development Program (PNGSDP) yesterday signed an agreement that will focus on the development of gas in Western province.
The document was signed in Port Moresby by Oil Search managing director Peter Botten, PNGSDP director Don Manoa and Petroleum and Energy Secretary Rendle Rimua.
The deal paves the way for studies on commercialising gas resources within and near Western province.
Mr Manoa said Western province had the second largest discovered gas resources, with Southern Highlands topping the list with Kutubu, Hides, Juha and Angore fields.
Current gas fields in Western province included P’nyang, Kimu, Douglas, Ketu, Elevala and Stanley.
A number of companies have active exploration programmes in the province.
“The first part of the project was to analyse the resources that were available for gas development and once we understood more about the resource in terms of its size, shape and feasibility in exploiting it, we can move on to phase two,” Mr Botten said.
He added that phase two will look at the market, development options and infrastructure while phase three will involve development of the gas sources.
Mr Manoa told of the challenge for oil and gas companies operating in the province.
“That new policy stance of the Government as I understand it, was for timely development of all discovered gas resources and to support the country’s medium-term development strategy,” he said.
He added that PNGSDP would like to work with oil and gas companies to build the gas pipeline so that the “backbone infrastructure” was in place for the development of current and future discovered gas resources of Western province.