Dili, Sept. 25, 2026 (Lusa) - The Timorese Minister for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Francisco Monteiro, stated on Friday that Timor-Leste, Australia and the Sunrise joint venture have concluded the technical negotiations on the three main documents for the development of the Greater Sunrise gas field.
«As of now, an agreement in principle is in place,» said Francisco Monteiro.
Monteiro was speaking at the end of a meeting between the prime minister, Xanana Gusmão, and the Australian Government's Special Envoy for the Greater Sunrise project, Katrina Cooper, who had travelled to Dili to brief the Timorese prime minister on the latest developments.
In a statement, the Timor-Leste prime minister's office explained that during the latest round of negotiations, held in Canberra, Australia, the parties had succeeded in finalising the three key documents, which will form the legal and contractual basis for the development of that gas field, namely the Petroleum Mining Code, the Production Sharing Agreement and the Fiscal Regime.
«The three documents will now undergo the Australian Government's internal procedures to obtain the necessary approvals. On the Timor-Leste side, the documents will also follow the approval process set out in national legislation, including consideration by parliament,» the statement emphasises.
The Petroleum Mining Code will establish the legal and regulatory framework for exploration and development activities, the Production Sharing Agreement will govern contractual relations, and the Fiscal Regime will define the taxation system and tax obligations.
The Timorese petroleum minister expects the approval process for these three documents to move forward in the coming months.
Located in the Timor Sea, 150 kilometres from Timor-Leste and 450 kilometres from Darwin, the Greater Sunrise field – comprising the Sunrise and Troubadour fields – is one of the largest reserves of natural resources yet to be explored in the region and represents significant economic potential for the Timorese people.
The development of this field has been at a standstill, with Dili advocating the construction of a gas pipeline to the south of the country – where it is developing the necessary infrastructure to receive, process and export the gas – whilst Woodside favours a connection to the existing facility in Darwin.
The exploration consortium comprises the Timorese company Timor Gap (66.56%) and the Australian operator Woodside Energy (33.44%).
The Greater Sunrise fields hold contingent resources estimated at 5.13 trillion cubic feet of gas and 225.9 million barrels of condensate.
The permanent maritime boundary agreement between Timor-Leste and Australia stipulates that Greater Sunrise, a shared resource, must be divided, with 70% of the revenues going to Timor-Leste in the event of a gas pipeline to the country, or 80% if processing takes place in Darwin.
Timor-Leste expects production to begin in 2034.
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