Sonk gets the record straight on gas production

BY JEFFREY ELAPA
PAPUA New Guinea will produce 16 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of liquefied natural gas (LNG), says Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd managing director Wapu Sonk.
He said that when asked to comment on allegations by Opposition Leader Patrick Pruaitch about volume of gas to be produced by Papua LNG and P’nyang projects.
Pruaitch alleged Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and Sonk made misleading statements during last week’s petroleum and energy summit in Port Moresby when they said Papua LNG, which consists of two trains, will produce a total of 2.7 mtpa.
He said both daily newspapers quoted O’Neill telling conference delegates in his keynote address that Papua LNG would produce
2.7 mtpa when it was even more than that volume. Pruaitch said Sonk, who would be responsible for the 22.5 per cent equity on behalf of the State, was also ill-informed when he was supposed to disseminate correct information to wider stakeholders and people of PNG.
However, Sonk said he he did not say that at the summit, and what he said was taken out of context by the media.
“He (Pruaitch) is responding to misleading reporting by reporters from both The National and Post-Courier.
“We are about to sign two 2.7 mtpa trains from the Papua liquefied natural gas project by Total, which is a total of 5.4 mtpa,” Sonk said.
“ExxonMobil-led P’nyang project will be another 2.7 mtpa, which takes the total production from Papua New Guinea, including the current two trains’ production, to over 16 mtpa for the country.”