Papua LNG project remobilised

After a year of delay because of COVID-19, the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government and Total, as operator, have announced the remobilisation of the PNG LNG project. It is planned to launch the front-end engineering and design (FEED) early in 2022, with the final investment decision (FID) in 2023.

Welcoming the development, Patrick Pouyanné, CEO, Total, noted that the project ranked ‘high’ in Total‘s portfolio given its proximity to growing Asian LNG markets.

The PNG LNG project will target production from two main discoveries in block PRL-15, Elk and Antelope. Gas will be transported via a 320 km long onshore/offshore pipeline to be liquefied in two 5.6mn t/y capacity trains integrated with the existing facilities in Caution Bay.

Total operates the Elk and Antelope onshore fields and is the largest shareholder of the PRL- 15 permit with a 31.1% interest, alongside partners ExxonMobil (28.7%) and Oil Search (17.7%), post the State back-in right of 22.5%.