Total, Govt to discuss Papua LNG matters

By DALE LUMA
TOTAL, the operator of the Papua LNG, will be sending a delegation to Port Moresby for talks on the Papua LNG project, says Prime Minister James Marape.
Marape was commenting in Parliament yesterday on the six bills tabled by Petroleum Minister Kerenga Kua on the Papua LNG project.
There are also talks planned with other partners including ExxonMobil and Oil Search on the progress of the project.
“The Total delegation will arrive in the next two weeks and I and Minister Kua will sit in with them for them to tell us the exact timeline of the Papua LNG,” Marape said.
“The economy should be happy and excited that Papua LNG hasn’t been scraped off as far as direct foreign investment is concerned.
“Companies such as Total and Exxon are global majors.
“They have investment footprints all over and the globe is their market.”
He said Total had a 80 trillion cubic feet gas project in Mozambique “coming in direct contest with our gas resources in Papua LNG and others we have.”
“The market advantage we have is that we are closer to the Asian market where the energy market is great and we could easily fill in the spot in market demand as far as LNG is concerned.”
He said the provincial government officials would also be present at the discussions.
“One thing that is emerging now as far as Papua LNG is concerned is that there is a detachment taking place from P’Nyang. Papua LNG will be a standalone project.”
Marape said Papua LNG had the capacity to grow PNG’s economy from K90 billion to a K100 billion economy.