As we face the pressures of climate change, there’s good news on the horizon. The Papua New Guinea (PNG) government signed a deal with France’s Total SA for the Papua LNG Project last Tuesday. The agreement over fiscal terms for development was a long time coming and may (subject to a green light on the FID) unlock over 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent of natural gas resources. The Papua LNG Project will be fed by the Elk Antelope gas fields and has the capacity to produce 5.4M tonnes per year with two LNG trains (added to the two existing ones located at the PNG LNG facility area in the vicinity of Port Moresby) each with a capacity of 2.7M annually.
Striking a better balance in energy resources is an important part of adopting a lower-carbon footprint. LNG spreads the benefits of a cleaner energy form when compared to oil and also gets top marks in reliability and flexibility. Increasing natural gas usage can lead to better energy security and deliver immediate carbon benefits. Total like many companies is taking their responsibility to lead sustainable transformation seriously. They are committing to providing affordable, lower-carbon energy solutions while working to manage the footprint of current consumption levels.
Back in November 2018, PNG and Total SA signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create a gas agreement. Since then, the pre-Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) studies and environmental baseline survey have been completed. The new agreement signed last week enables forward momentum to enter the FEED phase next. Looking forward, Patrick Pouyanné, Total CEO + Chairman, anticipates a final decision will be made in 2022.
The project brings a collection of benefits for the PNG community and other major stakeholders. It demonstrates PNG’s commitment to developing a sustainable future for the country. Developing their LNG reserves is an important hallmark for economic opportunities, financial stability, and national development. It will also fuel the world’s availability of LNG supplies, while providing an explosion of workforce demands that will prioritise national talent. Business and employment booms would be one of the greatest benefits for the community.
This is a welcome sign for future investments and a forecast of what’s to come. As a global workforce solutions provider, Easy Skill is ready to answer the call. Operating locally out of Port Moresby, we’ve served many of the world’s best organisations including Total to help them turn people into an unstoppable competitive advantage. We specialise in project resourcing with access to local talent first and have built a local community of over 10,000 PNG professionals. We’re also skilled at global mobility, work permits, contracts, visas, immigration, cultural support, and more.
Easy Skill PNG is excited about this latest development and our global team is too. It’s a big milestone for PNG and we can’t wait to spring into action. Creating opportunities for our candidates, our clients, and our community is why we love what we do. And supercharging project teams anywhere in the world is what we do best.
Download your guide to Work Permits + Visas in PNG