Díli, July 28, 2025 (Lusa) - A delegation from Australia's Woodside Energy begins a visit on Tuesday to the infrastructure of the Tasi Mane oil complex project on the south coast of Timor-Leste to develop that industry in the country.
“We will take the entire team to Suai tomorrow [Tuesday] to observe some of the infrastructure already built as part of the Tasi Mane project,” said Minister for Petroleum and Mineral Resources Francisco Monteiro.
After Suai, the team will head to Natarbora, “the site designated by the government for the construction of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, with the aim of bringing gas to Timor-Leste,” Francisco Monteiro told journalists after a meeting with the Woodside team at his office in Dili.
The minister pointed out that the infrastructure to be visited includes Suai airport, areas planned for the Suai Supply Base, clinics, hospitals and other public facilities, with the aim of building confidence.
In Natarbora, in the district of Manatuto, there is still no infrastructure in place, but the Woodside delegation will visit the site and review the studies carried out for the project.
The minister added that the Woodside team will remain in Timor-Leste for three days to visit the infrastructure and discuss in detail the expectations of both the Timorese side and the Australian company regarding the development of Greater Sunrise.
Woodside Energy's Executive Vice President for Technical Development and Energy, Julie Fallon, said the company is strongly committed to the possibility of bringing gas to Timor-Leste, which is why the delegation is visiting the country, with a special focus on the south coast.
“The most recent feasibility study shows that there are options for bringing gas to Timor-Leste, although there are also associated risks, so it is important to assess these carefully and find ways to mitigate them,” said Julie Fallon when asked about the matter.
Located 150 kilometres from Timor-Leste and 450 kilometres from Darwin, the Greater Sunrise project 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 facility in Darwin.
The consortium consists of Timor Gap (56.56%), operator Woodside Energy (33.44%) and Osaka Gas Australia (10.00%).
The permanent maritime border agreement between Timor-Leste and Australia stipulates that Greater Sunrise, a shared resource located 150 kilometres from Timor-Leste and 450 kilometres from Darwin, must be divided, with 70% of the revenue going to Timor-Leste in the case of a gas pipeline to the country, or 80% if processing takes place in Darwin.
To try to overcome the impasse, the exploration consortium commissioned a study on the development of that gas field, prepared by Wood Group PLC.
The British company studied four main options, namely the development of Greater Sunrise for Timor-Leste, for Darwin (Australia), in the Ichthys gas field, also in Australia and operated by the Japanese company INPEX, and a new Liquefied Natural Gas facility also in Australia.
The conceptual study confirmed the feasibility of developing the project in Timor-Leste.
The connection of the gas pipeline to the south of Timor-Leste is considered by the Timorese authorities to be strategic for the country's economic growth.
In a joint statement released earlier this year, Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Australia had proposed to make a “significant” investment in Timor-Leste through the establishment of an infrastructure fund.
According to the statement, the fund would be capitalised from a portion of Australia's future revenues from Greater Sunrise.
DPTF/AYLS // AYLS
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