Total ready for design

PAPUA LNG project developer Total E&P says they are ready to launch the front-end engineering design (FEED) of the project by the middle of next year.
Managing director Jean-Marc Noiray said FEED was the last phase towards the final investment decision.
“We are also ready to launch all the other elements of activities and take over construction by mid-year,” he said.
While providing further updates of the project, Noiray said they had started the environmental impact statement (EIS) four years ago and they are about to submit the EIS to the Conservation Environment and Protection Authority (Cepa).
“A lot has been done on the social side,” he said.
“We try to create a sound relationship with the landowners around the project area.
“We try to learn from previous projects, trying to produce an exhaustive and accurate SMLI (social mapping and landowner identification) including a lot of effort on landowner identification, surveying, mapping of boundaries between all the clans.
“This process was done together with the national specialists in the Department of Petroleum.”
Noiray said communication was key.
He said they had also invested in workforce development for the communities as well as contributed to socio-economic development in the project area.
He also gave an update of the company working with the Government in reviewing the gas agreement which was signed in April.
Noiray said they had worked closely with the Government as it was legitimate and they had nothing to say on that.
“That is perfectly legitimate for the Government and the sovereign state of PNG to decide,” he said.
“So we worked jointly with the new government, we agreed with the Government on few potential improvement of and we revalidated it on the beginning of Sept.”