Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has met with senior executives of ExxonMobil Corporation at the company’s global headquarters in Houston, Texas, to progress strategic discussions on Papua New Guinea’s next generation of LNG developments, including the Papua LNG, P’nyang LNG, and Wildebeest gas projects.
The high-level engagement included:
• Mr Darren W. Woods, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, ExxonMobil Corporation
• Mr Dan L. Ammann, President, Upstream Oil and Gas
• Mr Peter Clarke, Senior Vice President, Global LNG
• Mr Dinesh Sivasamboo, Chairman and Managing Director, ExxonMobil PNG Limited
On the Papua New Guinea side, Prime Minister Marape was accompanied by:
• Hon. Jimmy Maladina, Minister for Petroleum
• Hon. Rainbo Paita, Minister for Mining
• Mr Dairi Vele, Chairman of the State Negotiating Team (SNT)
• Mr Daniel Rolpagarea, State Solicitor
• Mr Augustine Mano, Managing Director, Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC)
Prime Minister Marape described the meeting as “substantive, productive, and forward- looking”, highlighting ExxonMobil’s full and unequivocal commitment to PNG’s resource sector.
“I am pleased to report that ExxonMobil reaffirmed its commitment to the sequencing and development of Papua LNG, P’nyang LNG, and Wildebeest,” Prime Minister Marape said
“The company confirmed that all three projects remain within their strategic investment portfolio, with sequencing essential to ensure long-term construction momentum, investment flow, and employment generation for our country.”
ExxonMobil also provided an update on the status of Papua LNG, for which TotalEnergies serves as the lead operator. While acknowledging cost pressures on the project, the executives reiterated that all joint venture partners — including ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, and Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited — are committed to resolving outstanding issues collaboratively.
A joint meeting involving the Government of Papua New Guinea, TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil, and other project stakeholders is being planned to address the recent cost escalations and chart a pathway towards Final Investment Decision (FID) for the project. .
On the Wildebeest prospect — a promising new gas field still in its exploration phase — ExxonMobil executives confirmed that deep-well exploratory activities are continuing, and expressed keen interest in partnering with the PNG Government to assess its future development potential.
“Our government has expressed its clear preference that these projects be properly sequenced: Papua LNG first, followed by P’nyang LNG, and then Wildebeest,” Prime Minister Marape explained. “This sequencing ensures continuity across the LNG sector — with final investment decisions and construction timelines aligned over a 10- to 15-year horizon.”
“Papua LNG is expected to reach FID first, and we are hopeful this will be followed by P’nyang and subsequently Wildebeest, creating a decade-long pipeline of economic activity, job creation, and revenue generation for Papua New Guinea,” he added.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Marape was also deeply encouraged to learn that more than six Papua New Guineans are now employed at ExxonMobil’s global headquarters in Houston — a result, he noted, of early investments in human capital development.
“As Education Minister in 2008–2009, I initiated efforts to train Papua New Guineans to manage and operate LNG projects,” he reflected. “Today, I am proud to see our nationals not only leading the PNG LNG project, but also serving at ExxonMobil’s global headquarters. It is a powerful reminder of what is possible when we invest in our people. “I thanked ExxonMobil for its confidence in Papua New Guinean professionals and encouraged the company to continue providing global opportunities for our capable and hardworking citizens.”
Without rest in Houston, Prime Minister Marape continued his official duties by travelling overnight to Washington, D.C., where he will hold a full two-day programme of engagements with senior United States Government officials and executives of Newmont Corporation, as part of his continued efforts to strengthen bilateral relations and attract responsible investment into Papua New Guinea’s resources sector.
Prime Minister Marape concluded the Houston leg of his mission by thanking ExxonMobil for its continued partnership and reaffirming the Government’s support for responsible resource development. “The development of our gas resources must bring lasting benefit to our people. With trusted partners like ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies, we believe that these projects will deliver the economic transformation our country needs as we enter our next 50 years,” he said.