Houston, Texas, USA, 9 July 2025 – Papua New Guinea Prime Minister 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 meeting was attended by several ExxonMobil executives, including Darren W. Woods, chairman and chief executive officer; Dan L. Ammann, president of Upstream Oil and Gas; Peter Clarke, senior vice president of Global LNG; and Dinesh Sivasamboo, chairman and managing director of ExxonMobil PNG Limited.
Representing the Government of Papua New Guinea were Jimmy Maladina, minister for Petroleum; Rainbo Paita, minister for Mining; Dairi Vele, chairman of the State Negotiating Team (SNT); Daniel Rolpagarea, state solicitor; and Augustine Mano, managing director of the Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC).
PM Marape described the meeting as “substantive, productive and forward-looking,” noting ExxonMobil’s full and unequivocal commitment to Papua New Guinea’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,” said Prime Minister Marape. “All three projects remain within the company’s 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 the Papua LNG project, for which TotalEnergies is the lead operator. While acknowledging current cost pressures, the company reaffirmed that all joint venture partners — including ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies and Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited — remain committed to resolving outstanding issues collaboratively.
A joint meeting involving the Government of Papua New Guinea, TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil and other stakeholders is being planned to address recent cost escalations and chart a pathway towards Final Investment Decision (FID).
Regarding the Wildebeest prospect — a promising gas field still in its exploration phase — ExxonMobil executives confirmed that deep-well exploratory activities are ongoing. The company expressed strong interest in partnering with the PNG Government to assess 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,” the Prime Minister stated. “This sequencing ensures continuity across the LNG sector — with 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.”
Prime Minister Marape also expressed pride upon learning that over six Papua New Guineans are currently employed at ExxonMobil’s global headquarters in Houston — a reflection of earlier government investment 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 said. “Today, I am proud to see our nationals not only leading major projects at home but also serving at ExxonMobil’s global headquarters. It’s a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we invest in our people.”
“I thanked ExxonMobil for its confidence in Papua New Guinean professionals and encouraged continued global opportunities for our capable and hardworking citizens.”
Following the Houston leg of his U.S. mission, Prime Minister Marape departed overnight for Washington, D.C. where he will hold a two-day programme of engagements with senior United States Government officials and Newmont Corporation executives. These meetings are part of his ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations and attract responsible investment into Papua New Guinea’s resource sector.
The Prime Minister concluded his visit by thanking ExxonMobil for its continued partnership and reaffirming the Government’s support for responsible and sustainable resource development.
“The development of our gas resources must bring lasting benefit to our people. With trusted partners like ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies, we believe these projects will deliver the economic transformation our country needs as we enter our next 50 years.”
