Dili, Dec. 1, 2024 (Lusa) - The former prime minister of Timor-Leste, Taur Matan Ruak, said in an interview with Lusa that the Greater Sunrise gas project was "a national cause", but that there should be no "illusion" that it would solve the country's major challenges.
"It's a cause, of course, but let's see what the results of the study are. The desire is there, we all want it to come to Timor. But to think that coming to Timor will solve all the problems would be an illusion. We also benefit from the production of Bayu-Udun and we are still facing our great challenges," said Taur Matan Ruak.
Located in the Timor Sea, around 250 kilometres south of Timor-Leste, Bayu-Udun is a gas condensate field, which, according to the Timorese government, should finish production this year.
When operations end, the government intends to establish a strategic commercial partnership to develop the field again, but for carbon capture and storage.
Greater Sunrise, located 140 kilometres south of Timor-Leste and 450 kilometres from Darwin, was discovered in 1974 and has resources of 5.1 trillion cubic feet of gas and 226 million barrels of condensate, according to data from Timor Gap, the state oil company.
However, its development has been mired in a stalemate, with Dili advocating the construction of a gas pipeline to the south of the country and Woodside, the consortium's second largest partner, leaning towards a connection to the existing unit in Darwin, Australia.
The consortium consists of the Timorese company Timor Gap (56.56%), the operator Woodside Energy (33.44%), and Osaca Gás Australia (10.00%).
The permanent maritime border agreement between Timor-Leste and Australia determines that Greater Sunrise is a shared resource between the two countries and will have to be divided. If a pipeline is built to the country, 70% of the revenues will go to Timor-Leste, or 80% if the processing is in Darwin.
To try to overcome the impasse, the exploration consortium ordered a study on the development of the gas field. The study has already been finalised, but the results have not yet been released.
"I don't know what the study's recommendations are. They're saying there's a possibility of it coming to Timor. It is important to know exactly what we want and prepare for it. Inconsistency creates a lot of security," Taur Matan Ruak emphasised, referring to the recent changes to the Tasi Mane project.
The Tasi Mane project envisions the construction of three petroleum industry industrial centres on the south coast of Timor-Leste.
Initially, the project included the construction of the support base and industrial parks in Suai, the refinery and petrochemical industries in Betano and a liquefied natural gas plant in Beaço, which was eventually moved to Natarbora.
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