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The National Capital District Commission (NCDC) has called for stronger municipal management, improved service delivery and closer cooperation with the private sector as Port Moresby enters a new phase of growth following Papua New Guinea’s 51st Independence Anniversary. In his Independence message, NCDC City Manager Ravu Frank said Port Moresby’s role as the centre of government, commerce and international engagement placed the capital at the heart of PNG’s economic development. He said the 51st anniversary was an opportunity to reflect on the country’s progress over five decades while shifting the focus towards implementation, reform and a more sustainable future. “Following the historic 50th Independence Anniversary, our attention now turns to the next chapter of our national development,” he said. “The focus must now move from reflection to implementation.” For Port Moresby, Frank said this meant strengthening the systems and processes that support the city’s economic and commercial environment. NCDC will continue to improve the efficiency of approvals and regulatory processes, strengthen accountability and enhance municipal services across the capital, he said. Effective planning, permitting and compliance processes are particularly important for businesses and investors, whose operations depend on a predictable municipal environment. Frank said NCDC’s goal was to build a capital city that is “clean, healthy, safe and planned”, supported by effective services, responsible development and accountable administration. The Commission is also focused on cleaner public spaces, better management and safety of markets and communities, and building a more professional and responsive organisation. Shared responsibility for the capital Frank stressed that improving Port Moresby could not be achieved by NCDC alone. Businesses, residents, churches, community organisations, government agencies and development partners all have a role in maintaining an orderly, safe and well-managed city, he said. “A well-managed city requires the cooperation of residents, businesses, churches, community organisations, government agencies and development partners,” he said. Frank said cleanliness and safety depended on cooperation within communities, while orderly urban development required compliance with laws, regulations and planning requirements. “Cleanliness begins with how we manage our homes, businesses and public spaces. Safety is strengthened when communities work together and respect one another. Orderly development depends on compliance with laws, regulations and planning requirements.” The call for shared responsibility comes as Port Moresby accommodates a growing concentration of commercial, government and community activity. For businesses, the quality of municipal administration can directly affect the operating environment through development approvals, public infrastructure, market management and the condition and safety of commercial areas. Frank said NCDC would continue to fulfil its responsibilities, but the capital’s development required “shared ownership” of the city. Applying ResetPNG@50 to city management Frank also highlighted the National Government’s ResetPNG@50 initiative, which provides an opportunity to examine PNG’s development experience over its first 50 years of Independence and identify areas for improvement and reform. He said NCDC was applying the same forward-looking approach to its own operations. “Within NCDC, this means continuing to strengthen our systems, improve service delivery and build a professional and responsive organisational culture,” Frank said. For NCDC, the focus on efficiency and accountability forms part of the broader challenge of ensuring Port Moresby can support economic activity and future investment. Frank also acknowledged the Motu Koitabu people, the traditional landowners and indigenous people of the land on which Port Moresby is established. He reaffirmed NCDC’s commitment to preserving and promoting Motu Koitabu culture and traditions, including annual support for the Hiri Moale Festival. As part of the 51st Independence celebrations, NCDC is also facilitating and supporting activities across Port Moresby. Frank encouraged residents and families to participate responsibly in the celebrations and mark the national anniversary in a spirit of unity, respect, pride and peace. He said NCDC remained committed to improving its performance, strengthening municipal services and working with all sectors of the community to develop a capital capable of supporting future generations. “As we celebrate 51 years of Independence, let us also recognise that the quality of our capital city is a shared responsibility," he said.

Great Pacific Gold has confirmed continuity of a large magmatic-hydrothermal system at its Kasie Ridge target in East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea, with maiden drilling identifying gold-bearing structures and mineralisation that remains open at depth. The company said two diamond drill holes, drilled about 315 metres apart, intersected correlated silica-rich and advanced argillic alteration within the Wild Dog Project's largest preserved alteration system. The programme comprised KAS-01A, drilled to 595.7 metres, and KAS-02, drilled to 346.6 metres, delivering 942.3 metres of core. KAS-01A ended in the strongest sulphide-rich alteration encountered during the programme, leaving the system open below the hole. Gold-bearing structures Gold was identified in both holes, with the strongest results from KAS-02. Eight individual samples from two structurally controlled zones returned grades of 0.20 grams per tonne gold or higher. The first zone, between 141 and 166 metres, returned five samples ranging from 0.20 g/t to 1.55 g/t gold, including the 1.55 g/t result at 151.7 metres. A second zone between 231 and 256 metres returned individual samples of 0.47 g/t, 0.31 g/t and 1.25 g/t gold. Great Pacific Gold cautioned that the reported values are individual point samples rather than composite intervals, and true widths have not been established. The company said the results are being used to characterise metal distribution and guide further exploration. KAS-01A returned a maximum individual gold value of 0.11 g/t at 572.3 metres, while silver values reached 22.4 g/t within a broad silver halo extending from about 263 to 402 metres. Copper was uniformly low, with a maximum of 0.09%. Deepening mineralisation system The drilling also identified a vertically zoned alteration sequence, moving from propylitic rocks through a pyrite-rich phyllic transition into massive chalcedonic silica and deeper advanced argillic and phyllic alteration. In KAS-01A, pyrite intensified through the deepest 130 metres, while hypogene anhydrite and visible chalcopyrite appeared below about 480 metres. The hole ended at 595.7 metres in sulphide-bearing alteration. The company said quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis of 105 samples identified minerals including alunite, pyrophyllite, zunyite, diaspore, topaz and andalusite, which it interprets as consistent with highly acidic, high-temperature magmatic fluids. Geochemical indicators also strengthened with depth. Selenium, tellurium and bismuth increased downhole, while molybdenum reached 53.6 parts per million at 421 metres and rhenium reached 2.84 ppm at 572.3 metres. Great Pacific Gold's current geological model is that the drilling has tested a preserved lithocap above or beside an untested magmatic source. The company said the increasing pathfinder elements, high-temperature minerals, pyrite, anhydrite and deeper chalcopyrite are consistent with a source below or lateral to the drilling. Follow-up exploration Kasie Ridge is at the northern end of the Wild Dog structural corridor, about 5 kilometres north-east of the historic Sinivit open pit within Exploration Licence 2761. Its advanced argillic alteration footprint extends about 1.5 to 2 kilometres along strike and several hundred metres across. The company is now undertaking geological, structural and alteration mapping, drainage sampling and specialist mineralogical and geochemical studies to refine its exploration model and rank potential drill targets. A 6.47-kilometre Minju Creek traverse has already mapped and sampled drainages south and east of the drilled target, including areas containing porphyry-style quartz-chlorite-chalcopyrite-magnetite float and silicified boulders. Great Pacific Gold chief operating officer and vice-president exploration Callum Spink said the first two holes had provided a clearer understanding of Kasie Ridge and established a vector towards the potential magmatic source. The company said any follow-up drilling would target the interpreted source of the lithocap as well as structures associated with the later gold-bearing event, subject to the results of ongoing surface work and specialist studies. Meanwhile, both of Great Pacific Gold's diamond drill rigs remain active at the Magiabe and Mengmut targets within the Wild Dog Project. As of 15 September, 1,639.4 metres had been drilled across nine holes, with assays pending for completed holes. The Wild Dog Project covers a 15-kilometre structural corridor in East New Britain and hosts an epithermal system alongside several district-scale porphyry targets, including Magiabe and Kasie Ridge.

The PNG LNG Project has safely produced more than 100 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas since operations began in 2014, marking a major milestone for Papua New Guinea's petroleum industry. The project, operated by ExxonMobil PNG Ltd., has connected Papua New Guinea's natural gas resources with global energy markets while supporting national development through employment, training, local business opportunities and community investment. PNG LNG is an integrated gas development that produces natural gas from fields in Hela and Southern Highlands provinces. The gas is processed and transported through an approximately 700-kilometre pipeline network to a two-train liquefaction plant at Caution Bay in Central Province, where it is converted into LNG for export. The project currently produces up to about 8 million tonnes of LNG a year, above its original nameplate capacity of 6.6 million tonnes. Since production began in 2014, it has supplied LNG primarily to customers in Asian markets. The project's operations involve gas production and processing, pipeline transportation, liquefaction, storage and marine loading, forming an integrated value chain linking PNG's gas resources with international buyers. ExxonMobil PNG Chairman and Managing Director Dinesh Sivasamboo credited employees, contractors and project partners for reaching the milestone. “Reaching 100 million tons safely produced was only possible because of the unwavering commitment of generations of employees, contractors, and partners who embraced a shared purpose and maintained a relentless focus on doing the right things, the right way,” Sivasamboo said. The milestone comes as Papua New Guinea continues to advance additional gas developments, including the proposed Papua LNG and P'nyang LNG projects, which are expected to build on the country's existing LNG industry. ExxonMobil PNG said the achievement reflects the contribution of thousands of Papua New Guineans and project personnel who have supported PNG LNG's operations over more than a decade. The company said it remains committed to creating long-term value for Papua New Guinea through the project's continued operations and its contribution to the country's energy and resources sector.

Reeves Envico and CE Group have commenced work on the 22-kilometre transmission line that will connect renewable energy from Tina River with the homes, businesses and essential services of Honiara. Against the rolling hills and demanding terrain of Guadalcanal, work is beginning on a connection that will carry more than electricity. The new transmission line will extend 22 kilometres from the Tina River Hydropower Facility to Lungga Power Station and the Honiara national electricity grid. Once complete, it will carry up to 15 megawatts of renewable power to the capital, helping reduce reliance on imported diesel and supporting cleaner, more reliable and more affordable energy for Solomon Islanders. The commencement of construction was marked at a signing ceremony in Honiara attended by representatives of the Solomon Islands Government, Solomon Power, Australia, Reeves Envico and CE Group. The ceremony recognised a significant step forward for the Tina River Hydropower Development Project-the largest renewable energy initiative undertaken in Solomon Islands. Reeves Envico is delivering the transmission line works as principal contractor, with CE Group engaged as the Electrical Infrastructure Partner. The relationship brings together Reeves Envico’s longstanding connection with Solomon Islands and CE Group’s experience delivering complex electrical works in remote and operationally challenging environments. The scale of the undertaking is significant. The route crosses rolling hills, changing elevations and areas where weather, access and terrain will influence the movement of workers, equipment and materials. Delivering the line will require disciplined planning, technical capability and close coordination with Solomon Power, national workers, communities and the broader project team. It is a demanding scope, but its purpose is deeply human. Reliable electricity supports hospitals, classrooms, communications, refrigeration, government services and local businesses. Its value is felt when essential equipment continues operating, when a student can study and when a business can remain productive. For Reeves Envico and CE Group, those everyday outcomes give the partnership its meaning. Reeves Envico Managing Director Simon Gorman said the signing marked a deeply significant return to the country where the company’s story began. “Reeves’ connection with Solomon Islands began in 1988, with our very first project. To return today and sign this contract is more than an important milestone-it is a privilege,” Gorman said. That history brings both experience and responsibility. The partnership between Reeves Envico and CE Group is grounded in trust, integrity and a shared commitment to deliver work that supports Solomon Islands’ national priorities. For CE Group, the project is its largest contract to date and an opportunity to apply its electrical engineering and construction capability to work of lasting national value. CE Group Managing Director Ryan Johnson said the signing reflected the strength of the relationships that continue to connect Solomon Islands and Australia. “Today’s signing honours that enduring partnership and opens the door to new opportunities for the people of both our nations," Johnson said. Those opportunities extend beyond the physical delivery of the transmission line. More than 190 Solomon Islanders are currently employed across the broader Tina River Hydropower Development Project, with further opportunities expected as construction progresses. Behind that number are workers developing experience, families supported by employment and national capability that will remain beyond the construction period. The wider project also includes education and training initiatives and measures supporting safe employment opportunities for women and girls. Australia is contributing approximately SBD$180 million to the transmission line project through the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific, combining concessional financing and grant funding. The project is expected to be completed in early 2028. Its magnitude can be measured in kilometres, megawatts and the difficulty of the landscape. Its true legacy, however, will be measured by what it enables: stronger energy security, more dependable essential services, national employment and new possibilities for Solomon Islands communities. For Reeves Envico and CE Group, the intention is clear: to honour the trust placed in the partnership, deliver with integrity and remain focused on the people the work is ultimately intended to serve. The signing ceremony marked the beginning of that responsibility-not its conclusion. The lasting measure of the partnership will be found in the work delivered, the relationships strengthened and the benefits carried forward for Solomon Islands. Beyond borders, progress is built through partnership.

The Autonomous Bougainville Government is seeking to increase agricultural revenues by strengthening cocoa production, regulation and downstream processing across the region. Speaking at the 2026 Bougainville Chocolate Festival in Buin, Minister for Primary Industry Clarence Dency said agricultural commodities should become a leading source of fiscal revenue for Bougainville and called on development and donor partners to support the government’s strategy to add value to agricultural products. Dency urged cocoa farmers to maintain high-quality production and commended farmers in South Bougainville for contributing to the region’s highest cocoa production output. He said the festival, established in 2016, provides a platform for cocoa farmers, industry representatives, legislators, exporters, development partners and communities to exchange knowledge, promote quality cocoa and create business and fair-trade opportunities. Chief Secretary's representative Belinda Lanbong separately called on donor partners to strengthen support for ABG’s efforts to develop a sustainable cocoa industry from farming through to downstream processing. At the farmers’ seminar, ABG Department of Commerce, Trade and Industry official Raymond Moworu outlined the potential role of Special Economic Zones in attracting investment, creating jobs and turning local commodities into higher-value products. Moworu highlighted plans for the proposed Soraken Special Economic Zone, including a cocoa liquor processing facility with an annual capacity of 10,000 tonnes. Cocoa liquor is a processed cocoa paste used in chocolate manufacturing and represents a further stage of processing beyond the production and export of cocoa beans. Moworu said economic zones could support businesses through improved infrastructure and simpler administrative processes while creating opportunities for local people to gain skills and establish supporting businesses. He also identified land access, environmental impacts and governance as issues requiring careful management, stressing that successful economic zones would depend on sustained political commitment, sound planning and implementation capacity. Meanwhile, James Butubu, chief compliance officer of the Bougainville Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority, outlined efforts to strengthen cocoa regulation, quality and marketing. The regulatory framework includes licensing across the cocoa supply chain, from nurseries and fermentaries to bean dealers and exporters. It also emphasises quality assurance, traceability and sustainability standards needed to meet international market requirements. Butubu provided updates on compliance monitoring, officer training and the development of inspection and laboratory facilities. Facilities are located in Buka and Toniva/Arawa, while an inspection and laboratory facility is planned for Buin. Funding, staffing capacity, data management and coordination with national commodity bodies remain challenges to implementation, according to the presentation. Future priorities include strengthening research and extension services, improving marketing infrastructure and working with stakeholders and investors to advance local cocoa processing. The discussions highlighted the link between improving cocoa quality and developing downstream processing, as Bougainville seeks to retain more value from its agricultural commodities within the region.

Japan and Papua New Guinea have formalised grant assistance for a landslide-prone section of the Kokopo-Rabaul Coastal Trunk Road and a scholarship program for PNG public servants, strengthening bilateral development cooperation between the two countries. The projects were formalised on Sept. 18 through the signing of an Exchange of Note and Grant Agreement between the PNG government and Japan, with implementation to be supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under Japan’s official development assistance program. The projects — the Project for Landslide Risk Reduction on the Kokopo-Rabaul Coastal Trunk Road and the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) — were requested by the PNG government to support the country’s socio-economic development priorities under the Medium Term Development Plan IV. Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko and Japanese Ambassador to PNG Mochizuki Hisanobu officiated the Exchange of Note. The Grant Agreement was signed by Koney Samuel, secretary of the Department of National Planning and Monitoring, and Shirouzu Kenichi, chief representative of the JICA PNG Office. Protecting key East New Britain corridor The road project will target a 2.4-kilometre landslide-prone section of the Kokopo-Rabaul Coastal Trunk Road in East New Britain. The Department of Works and Highways is the government executing agency. JICA said landslides along the corridor have regularly disrupted transport, livelihoods and access to essential services. The project will introduce sediment ponds, bridges and drainage systems, together with slope protection works, to reduce landslide risks and improve the reliability of the road. The Kokopo-Rabaul corridor connects communities, businesses and markets across East New Britain. Reducing the risk of road closures is expected to improve the movement of people and goods, strengthen logistics and supply chains and maintain access to essential services. The project is also intended to improve the corridor’s resilience to climate-related risks and support economic activity in the province. Building public-sector capacity The second grant will support the Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS), which provides PNG public servants with scholarships to pursue master's degrees at universities in Japan. The program is jointly implemented by the Department of National Planning and Monitoring and the Department of Personnel Management, with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Japan also involved in coordination. JICA said the program aims to strengthen institutional capacity by developing public-sector professionals and future leaders who can contribute to PNG’s socio-economic development. Since JDS was introduced in PNG in 2024, 22 public servants have been supported to undertake studies in Japan. Applications for the 2027 intake opened in September 2026. JDS is one of five scholarship programs JICA implements annually in PNG, aimed at strengthening the qualifications and skills of public servants while providing exposure to Japan’s development experience. JICA said qualified women are encouraged to apply as part of its focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The two projects add to more than five decades of development cooperation between Japan and PNG, with the latest grants combining infrastructure investment in a critical transport corridor with long-term investment in public-sector skills.

The Morobe Provincial Government is restructuring its tourism board to strengthen coordination across the industry and give businesses and communities a greater role in developing tourism opportunities across the province. The Morobe Provincial Executive Council has appointed a new Tourism Board to advise and support the Provincial Government and Administration, with its membership drawn from tourism, business, agriculture, transport and community sectors. The new structure moves away from appointments based primarily on political nominations and is intended to establish closer links between government and businesses and organisations involved in tourism and related economic activities. Morobe Governor Rainbo Paita said the province needed a tourism board capable of working closely with the provincial administration and key sectors including commerce, transport, tourism attractions and tourism products. He said tourism should be viewed as a broad economic activity extending beyond conventional tourism operators and major attractions. “Tourism is everyone’s business,” Paita said, pointing to the movement of people between villages and Local Level Government areas as part of local economic activity. People travelling for church conferences, community events and other gatherings contribute to local economies through the movement of people, goods and money, he said. The broader approach is intended to identify and develop tourism opportunities at the local level while increasing participation by communities and businesses across Morobe. The provincial government also wants to increase Morobe’s capacity to host sporting events and tournaments, including local competitions that can generate demand for accommodation, transport, food, retail and other services. Agriculture is another area identified for tourism development, reflecting Morobe’s agricultural base and the potential to connect farming activities, agricultural organisations and tourism experiences. The board will also focus on awareness and education, as well as promoting eco-tourism, culture and heritage. Its composition reflects the provincial government’s push for greater industry and business participation in tourism planning and development. Nominations came from the Chamber of Commerce, tour promoters, accommodation providers, transport operators, farmers and settlers, the Bulolo Agriculture Society, Morobe Agriculture Society, guides and porters, and community representatives. PEC Chairman for Tourism and Hospitality Gideon Kepusing said the new board reflected the Paita-led provincial government’s “Move Morobe Up” policy of encouraging economic activity at the local level. Kepusing said the board would provide advice and support to him and the Provincial Executive Council while helping communicate government policies and its tourism vision to communities across Morobe. The newly sworn-in board comprises Jemmima Colbran as chairperson and Donna Harvey Hall as deputy chairperson, with members Debra Bubun, Zoe Harrison, Steven Wata, Tim Rodgers, Aaron Bimbo and Paul Pople. Ex-officio representation includes the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority, National Development Bank, Air Niugini and the adviser for the Division of Commerce, Tourism and Industry. The board members have been appointed for three years. The new structure is expected to improve coordination among government, tourism operators, businesses, financial institutions, transport providers, agricultural organisations and communities as Morobe seeks to increase tourism’s contribution to the provincial economy.

Editor’s Note: In this issue, Michael McWalter, former Director of the Petroleum Division and Adviser to the Government of Papua New Guinea, and erstwhile petroleum adviser to the Governments of Ghana, Liberia, Cambodia, Sao Tome, and South Sudan writes about Liquefied Natural Gas. He is a certified petroleum geologist, and technical specialist in upstream petroleum industry regulation, administration, and institutional development.    Natural Gas  Many people in Papua New Guinea will have heard of LNG, but how many of us know exactly what it is?  LNG is Liquefied Natural Gas.  That is natural gas that has come from within the Earth’s subterranean rock strata and then been chilled into a liquid, thus becoming Liquefied Natural Gas. It does not exist in the ground and there are no LNG wells, just gas wells from which to collect and aggregate large volumes of natural gas.      Natural gas, as we know it, is a useful fuel which can be burnt and may make heat for all manner of domestic, commercial and industrial purposes.  It can also be used as a chemical feedstock to manufacture products like fertilisers and plastics.  Natural gas is thus a valuable natural resource, but it is quite tricky to produce, handle and supply to customers, unlike crude oil and its classic liquid petroleum products such as petrol, kerosene, and diesel.   Turning natural gas into LNG can make natural gas even more accessible and useful. Unfortunately, many of the world’s gas fields are remote from the main consumers of natural gas. Natural gas is also bulky and thus quite expensive to transport. Methane, the primary constituent of natural gas, has a density of just 0.71616 kgs/cubic metre at normal temperature and pressure, which may be raised to 71.62 kgs/cubic metre at an applied pressure of 10,000 kilopascals (1,450 pounds per square inch (psi)), as may happen in a strong high-pressure pipeline.  Therefore, natural gas is often supplied to customers through long pipelines.  If one liquefies natural gas to LNG, its density is raised to between 430 and 460 kgs/cubic metre (depending on its composition) making it much more compact and able to be shipped long distances on special insulated ocean-going tankers. We say that the energy density of natural gas at standard temperature and pressure as LNG is raised significantly, by more than 600 times for a given mass of gas. LNG ranges in density between 0.43 and 0.46 g/cm³ (depending on its exact ethane and propane content ratios), or slightly less than half the density of diesel. So, by liquefying natural gas, considerable energy is packed into a small volume as compared to natural gas in its gaseous state.    LPG is not LNG  We have to avoid the common confusion with LPG, which is Liquefied Petroleum Gas (sometimes referred to as Liquid Petroleum Gas). We know LPG otherwise as bottled gas, sold under local brand names: Puma Gas, Geogas PNG (Ggas), and Trugas. LPG is primarily propane and/or butane which liquefy under moderate pressure at room temperature. The heavy steel bottles with which we are familiar keep the petroleum gases at pressures of 7 to 20 bar or 100 to 300 psi depending on the temperature and gas mixture.      Figure 1: Typical domestic use LPG bottles, after Puma, Ggas and Trugas.  Propane has a boiling point of between minus 42.25 to minus 42.04 degrees Celsius, whilst butane has a boiling point of minus 0.5 degrees Celsius. Because of this low boiling point, both propane and butane are kept as a liquid under high pressure in such tanks. As long as the outside temperature is above the boiling point temperature, the liquid will naturally boil off into the vapour required to run appliances. Because it can get quite cold in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, and butane stops turning into gas (vapourising) between minus 0.4 degrees and minus 2 degrees Celsius, a propane-based LPG is preferred for higher altitude locations to ensure a free flow of vapourised LPG.    Liquefied Natural Gas   The content of LNG is normally mainly methane with minor amounts of ethane, propane and butane. The boiling point of methane is minus 161.5 degrees Celsius, a temperature far removed from our terrestrial experience. This is the world of cryogenics, the branch of physics and engineering that studies materials and phenomena at extremely low temperatures and, specifically for LNG, how gases liquefy. It is a different and very expensive high-tech world when compared to crude oil, pipeline gas, or LPGs. LNG has been described as the "Frozen Flame" – a rather poetic term. It gets this name because natural gas must be chilled to extreme cryogenic temperatures to turn it into a liquid, yet it can form volatile, freezing, and highly flammable vapour clouds, if exposed to the air.    Fig 2: The Frozen Flame, after Shell International Gas Ltd, 1988.  We have heard of the oil and gas companies exporting LNG, and of the LNG Projects like the PNG LNG Project, operated by ExxonMobil for the last 12 years, the planned Papua LNG Project currently being prepared by TotalEnergies, and the future P’nyang LNG Project being prepared by ExxonMobil.     Figure 3: LNG vessel, Energy Fortitude berthed at the PNG LNG Project marine terminal jetty to receive the 116th cargo for 2025, after ExxonMobil.   These projects are spread out across the country. They produce, and will produce, natural gas from wells drilled deep into the ground that tap into various large accumulations of natural gas trapped in ancient porous and permeable sediments that have been discovered and appraised for their quality and extent. That natural gas may flow to the surface through the wells drilled into those accumulations, and after being cleaned up of basic impurities, it may be transported in gas pipelines hundreds of kilometres long to a liquefaction plant.      Cooling Natural Gas  At a liquefaction plant the gas can be liquefied, or turned from its gaseous state into a liquid by intense chilling in what can only be called some of the largest refrigerators in the world.  Just as we commonly know of water in its three states of matter: solid ice, liquid water and gaseous steam, so we can also chill natural gas until it too becomes a liquid. These refrigerators or liquefaction plants are enormous, and they cool the gas to approximately minus 163 degrees Celsius at which point the natural gas becomes a liquid at normal atmospheric pressure. Of course, just as with any refrigerator, this takes energy.   Turning a gas into a liquid, or condensing the gas, requires the extraction of the latent heat of vapourisation. The gas must release this exact same thermal energy to the environment in order to cool; that is 510 kilojoules per kilogram, for methane. Seeing as such processes are by no means 100% efficient, this means the power input for the liquefaction process is quite enormous. That energy is commonly provided by a portion of the gas feedstock, and is consumed on-site to operate massive refrigerant compressors and run the auxiliary equipment needed for the cooling process. The amount of natural gas typically consumed in this process ranges from approximately 7% to 15% of the total gas feedstock received at the plant.  Allegedly, the PNG LNG plant is so well-engineered and operated by ExxonMobil that it only consumes about 7.8% of the feedstock gas stream for liquefaction. It said that the Papua LNG Project, to be operated by TotalEnergies, might use solar-powered electric drivers for its compressors, further reducing feedstock gas utilisation in processing, and thus nicely mitigating carbon dioxide emissions from the use of gas.    Figure 4: Part of a liquefaction plant – a massive refrigerator for natural gas, after Shell Qatar.  The beauty of this is that the natural gas, once so liquefied, occupies only about one six-hundredth of the volume it would in its gaseous state.  Thus, the volume occupied by the natural gas in the form of LNG is vastly less, and the energy density of LNG is conversely massively heightened. By conversion of natural gas to its liquid form, it can be loaded onto ocean-going LNG tankers and can be delivered to any customer willing and able to pay for it, and receive it, anywhere in the world.     In many countries, natural gas is conveyed in large volumes by networks of pipelines taking it to diverse customers throughout the land. Also, in many parts of the world, natural gas that is excess to country needs and requirements may be exported by pipelines to countries nearby that need it, provided they can pay a handsome-enough price for the gas and its delivery. Examples of such are many. Some plans about twenty-five years ago for the development of Papua New Guinea’s discovered gas fields called for the pipeline transportation of Papua New Guinea’s natural gas to Australia, primarily to markets in Queensland. However, the proposed customers were not able to pay an adequate enough tariff for purchase of the natural gas and its long-distance transportation, as they then had ample supplies of locally-produced natural gas that were cheaper. If Papua New Guinea had pursued that project as a strategy for its natural gas development, it would have earned little from the development of those resources. Fortunately, common sense prevailed and the concept of developing the gas fields of Papua New Guinea for the supply of LNG to East Asian markets, where customers are prepared to pay a premium price for natural gas, sensibly prevailed.  The cost of the conveyance of natural gas by pipeline naturally increases with the distance over which it is to be conveyed, such that for extremely long distances the transportation of natural gas as LNG on ocean-going tankers becomes cost effective. Necessarily, pipelines are still the preferred mode of conveyance of natural gas on land, but for maritime routes of supply, LNG is the best mode of conveyance, unless a maritime pipeline is short and cost effective, and cannot be avoided.    Figure 5: Natural gas transportation costs show a typical breakeven between the use of pipelines and LNG at distances: between 1,500 and 3,000 kilometres, after UNECE.    LNG – a Global Business  In 2025, some 578.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas, equivalent to 387 million tonnes per annum (mta) was produced and moved around the world as LNG from around 20 exporting Nations to around 30 importing Nations. International trade in LNG grew by 6.5% in 2025, after two years of little or no growth. This was led by a large increase in LNG exports from the USA, with it producing 147 mta, or 25.4% of global LNG. This was followed by Qatar and Australia at 19.2 mta and 18.2 mta respectively.  Papua New Guinea produced a modest 7.9 mta, about 2.0% of global LNG supply.    Figure 6: Trade in LNG in 2025, after the Statistical Review of World Energy, Energy Institute, 2026.  The LNG business uses only about 15% of all the natural gas produced. The vast majority of natural gas, about 70%, is consumed domestically within the countries in which it is produced, while the remainder is used for international cross-border trade transported via pipelines in a compressed gaseous state.  LNG has the advantage that it can be transported anywhere to any port that can receive its liquefied cargo. LNG is not dependent on point-to-point pipelines, which are generally dedicated to the supply of natural gas from one nation to another, forever. LNG projects do nevertheless still have to arrange for customers willing to pay the premium price for natural gas delivery as LNG.     The LNG Chain  LNG projects tend to have dedicated customers with corresponding LNG sales and purchase agreements. These are binding contracts, for considerable periods of time to guarantee the financing of gas field development, and construction of gas gathering and transmission pipelines, gas liquefaction plants, and storage and loading facilities. The costs can be massive. Furthermore, LNG tankers are needed; these are generally owned by specialised maritime shipping companies and major energy corporations, and are normally chartered.  Importantly, the customers buying the LNG also have to have facilities to receive the LNG, store it, and re-gasify it back into the gaseous form for transmission and distribution to end-users.  These facilities are LNG receiving terminals, which are built at the expense of the LNG buyers, or other parties that may lease them to the buyers.  Altogether, for an LNG project to be successful, all aspects have to be developed simultaneously: the gas field, gas pipelines, liquefaction plant and LNG storage, loading terminals, LNG tankers, marine receiving terminals, regasification terminals, gas off-takers and customers. This is what we call the LNG Chain.          Figure 7: The LNG Business Chain, after ResearchGate.      Figure 8: An LNG tanker berthing at the Guangdong Dapeng LNG terminal in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, after PetroChina.   Aside from the contractual sales and purchase arrangements, LNG export is not necessarily limited in its destination, especially as we saw in times of global upsets, such as the Covid pandemic. Some cargoes are sold on the spot market outside the framework of long-term contracts; these sales are typically for single shipments for delivery within three months of the transaction date. Prices in the spot market can be fixed, or indexed directly to oil or gas prices. Such cargoes can go wheresoever the cargo obtains the best price.    Thirty years ago, when the concept of LNG development was first examined by the Government of Papua New Guinea, there were just eight Nations exporting LNG and eight Nations importing LNG.  The LNG industry has grown significantly into a truly global industry providing a flexible form of energy, often as an alternative to fixed pipeline gas supply arrangements, or exhausted domestic natural gas supplies. LNG usage has grown by 363% since the year 2000.  According to many reports, that growth will continue with Shell, a major player in the LNG markets, saying that it expects it to grow to 65% from today’s level of 578 billion cubic metres (BCM) gas per year up to 955 BCM gas per year (equivalent to 700 mta LNG) by 2050 as countries continue to prioritise flexible and reliable energy security offered by gas and LNG. This would be just a 2.4% growth per annum in LNG production and demand. Papua New Guinea will likely contribute to that growth with the development and inception of LNG production by the planned Papua LNG and P’nyang LNG Projects.    Figure 9: Total global LNG export by years in billion cubic meters of natural gas equivalent from 2000 to 2025, data after the Statistical review of World Energy, 2026.      Gas Quality and Specifications  When natural gas emerges from its subterranean reservoir, either dissolved in liquid oil or with natural gas liquids dissolved in a gaseous vapour, it is typically in a mixture of petroleum fluids. Whenever oil and gas are produced, it is a fundamental requirement to separate the liquids from the gaseous components, and the various petroleum fluids from any contained water and sediment. Most often this is performed near the location of the producing natural gas field and these are the first processing steps, which are known as gas conditioning.    With separation, filtering and dehydration done, the gas may yet contain toxic and corrosive gases like hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). These components have to be removed to prevent damage to pipes and vessels, and to avoid their freezing and solidification in the cryogenic sections (typically at temperatures around minus 160°C) in a process known as acid-gas removal, or gas sweetening. Further dehydration of the natural gas has to be undertaken to almost completely remove (to less than 1 part per million) any vestigial water which might freeze and cause blockages in the liquefaction plant. Another troublesome impurity in natural gas is mercury which may cause severe corrosion and cracking in the aluminium cold boxes and heat exchangers used in liquefaction facilities.   LNG feedstock with high nitrogen content causes operational issues by lowering the liquefaction temperature and generating excess boil-off gas. To utilise or fix it, operators use cryogenic distillation to separate the gas, blend it with leaner feedstocks, or route the vapourised nitrogen for use for facility safety and maintenance.  Sometimes there may be some helium content in the natural gas.  Helium is a valuable commodity used in semiconductor manufacturing, aerospace, and MRI machines. Even if the natural gas feedstock has a low helium concentration (less than 0.1% to 0.3%), the massive scale of an LNG plant concentrates the helium significantly, making extraction highly profitable. As natural gas is liquefied, helium remains a gas. It builds up in various parts of the LNG plant. Plant operators then use specialised cryogenic extraction, membrane separation, and adsorption techniques to draw out crude helium (50-70% purity), and then refine it to grades >99.999% pure.    Figure 10: A simplified process flow diagram of the PNG LNG Project liquefaction plant, after ExxonMobil’s PNG LNG Project Environmental Impact Statement.    Heavier hydrocarbons, or natural gas liquids, typically pentane, hexane, and benzene have to be removed to avoid premature freezing and the fouling of the liquefaction processes. The inclusion of some ethane, propane and butane in the liquefaction feedstock gas changes the quality of the LNG and its heating value, or energy content. The inclusion of these components is a matter of LNG product design and specification to meet customer requirements.  Japan's domestic gas pipeline network is strictly designed to handle "rich" gas (gas with more ethane, propane and butane). LNG imported into Japan typically has a higher heating value (HHV) of 39.7 to 43.3 megajoules per cubic metre (MJ/CM). Utilities consistently adjust the energy content to 45 MJ/CM (about 1,140 BTU/scf) before distributing it to homes and businesses. Because LNG imported from the U.S. and Canada is typically "lean" (dry, and thus lower in heating value), Japanese buyers blend it with rich LNG or enrich it with LPG to meet their domestic heating standards. LNG imported into Europe has a typical higher heating value (HHV) of roughly 50 MJ/CM (or about 1,267 BTU/scf). However, the exact heating value of LNG shipments into Europe fluctuates depending on the source region and liquefaction process, ranging roughly from ±10% to 15%.   Gas Type  Chemical Formula  Molecular Weight  HHV (MJ/CM)  HHV (MJ/kg)  Methane  CH4  16.042  39.8  55.5  Ethane  C2H6  30.068  70.4  51.9  Propane  C3H8  44.094  93.5  50.3  Butane  C4H10  58.12  121.8  49.5  Figure 11: Thermal properties of typical gases contained in LNG.   LNG is paid for by customers on the basis of its heating value, so no value is lost if some ethane, propane and butane remain in the natural gas feedstock for liquefaction. Every component earns value according to its mass and contribution to the heating value.   It has previously been argued that the PNG LNG Project should have stripped its ethane, propane and butane to serve as petrochemical feedstock. Whilst noble in notion, such stripping would have cost a lot of money, perhaps as much as US$ 400 million for the LPG stripping plant alone, and one wonders where the industries are that such stripped LPG could have supported. Studies found that below a crude oil price of US$ 60 per barrel, LPG stripping was not economically viable.  The specification of LNG produced by the PNG LNG Project seeks to meet the Japanese specifications as two of the major long-term customers for the PNG LNG Project are Osaka Gas Company Ltd and Tokyo Electric Power Company. The delivered LNG thus has a higher heating value of between 41.0-42.5 MJ/CM (1100 to 1140 Btu/scf). LNG production aims to have at least 85% methane content, and strictly limits other components to try to remain within an acceptable range of gas specifications.  Component of LNG  Content Limitation  Methane  >85 %  Ethane  <9 %  Propane   <4 %  Butanes  <2 %  Pentanes  <0.25 %  Nitrogen   <1 %  Hydrogen Sulphide  <6mg/CM  Total Sulphur  <30 mg/CM  Mercaptans  <30 mg/CM  Mercury  <10 mg/CM  Carbon Dioxide  <100 ppm by vol  Oxygen   <10 ppm by vol  Water  <0.1 ppm by vol    Figure 12: A typical LNG specification by mole percent. Note the tight limitations on impurities.     Gas Quantities and Measurement  Whilst the oil and gas exploration industry likes to measure gas flows in standard cubic feet per day (SCFD) (or standard cubic metres per day in the metric system [SCMD]), volume is not an appropriate measurement for what is sought by buyers: energy content.  As seen in Figure 11, the energy content (typically, the higher heating value) per cubic metre of natural gas rises in proportion to the carbon number of the particular type of gas, whilst the energy content per mass stays more or less similar, though there is a small systematic decline. Thus, measurement of the mass of the gas supplied as LNG is normally the critical quantity in gas sales agreements. Then, knowing the energy content per unit mass of the LNG, it is relatively easy to determine the amount of energy provided.  We commonly hear reports of the PNG LNG project shipping millions of tonnes (mta) of LNG to its customers. The heating value will still vary from time to time within agreed limits, depending on gas field operations for the production of natural gas and depending on which fields are contributing to the flow of natural gas feedstock to the LNG plant.  The measure of energy content of natural gas or LNG is typically provided in terms of energy units per unit of mass, such as kilojoules per kilogram (or in imperial units as BTU per pound). It is sufficient for gas explorers to use volumetric measurements, such as million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD where M denotes 1000, or mille), or million standard cubic metres per day (MSCMD, where M stands for million). However, for LNG sales, the heating value of the gas is what the customers pay for. Yes, the units can be confusing, and one constantly has to check one’s units and abbreviations, especially the use of ‘M’. In the gas industry, one needs to be most conversant with all manner of units of measurement and their abbreviations, and be on constant guard against incorrect interpretation.  It is always good to give the numbers a sense check.   So, in the case of the PNG LNG Project, it is reported that it produced 7.9 mta LNG in 2025 which had a higher heating value of less than or equal to 1,140 BTU per cubic foot, or 42.5721 MJ/CM. Such a gas would have a specific gravity with respect to air of 0.633798. If the density of air is 1.2250 kg/CM (as used in ISO conditions at 15 °C and 101.325 kPa), the density of the natural gas that has been liquefied is 0.7764 kg/CM. So, for 7.9 mta of LNG production, at 7.8% gas usage during liquefaction and 95% plant uptime, gives us an estimated natural gas feedstock rate of about 1,124 MMSCFD, or 1.124 billion SCF (BCFD). This is not a rigorous calculation, but only one to show the scale of the current PNG LNG Project development and how much natural gas it produces.   By direct comparison, the Hides Gas to Electricity Project uses just 15 MMSCD to power the Porgera Mine electric power station, which produces 75 MW of electricity. It is simple arithmetic to show that the volume of gas used by the PNG LNG Project is an approximate equivalent to 5,620 MW or 5.62 gigawatts (GW).   This has to be compared to Papua New Guinea’s estimated total installed electricity generation capacity of just around 600 MW.     LNG Sales  Sales of LNG are typically made to distant customers beyond the reach of gas pipeline supply, and obviously to those countries that are energy deficient, either by having little or no endowment of oil and gas resources, or not having enough to satisfy their present-day needs.  Quite often countries take to importing LNG when their own gas resources have been depleted after the clamour to monetise them when first discovered by export and the earning of valuable foreign exchange.    Most often LNG Sales and Purchase Agreements are negotiated and agreed prior to the development of a particular LNG export project for a substantial period of time, at least ten years, and often spanning as long as 15 up to 25 years. These agreements effectively provide financial guarantees for the financing of the development of that project. Though there are some spot trades of LNG cargoes on the open market, most LNG supply is governed by term agreements for the supply of a specified amount of LNG per year for a given period. Spot sales are for individual cargoes for immediate delivery without a long-term supply contract.  The PNG LNG Project, which cost US$ 19 billion to develop, initially secured long-term binding agreements with four major Asian energy buyers: Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO); Osaka Gas Company; China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) and CPC Corporation of Taiwan. The PNG LNG Project routinely produces up to 8 mta LNG, significantly above its nameplate capacity of 6.6 mta. Amounts of LNG above and beyond the original contracted amounts have been the subject of some mid-term sales to the likes of PetroChina and BP Singapore, and some spot sales to CPC in Taiwan.  Typically, LNG Sale and Purchase Agreements are strictly held in commercial confidence and rarely ever see the light of day, but once done, the sellers and buyers usually announce their arrangement with enthusiasm.         Figure 13: Media release by ExxonMobil 7 December 2009 announcing the LNG Sales and Purchase Agreement with Tokyo Electric Power Company Inc for 1.8 mta of LNG.  Taiwan recently oddly halted approximately US$ 800 million in scheduled spot LNG purchases from the PNG LNG Project after Papua New Guinea ordered the closure of Taiwan’s Taipei Economic Office in Port Moresby. However, long term contracted LNG volumes are legally insulated and are much harder to unwind, so Taiwan’s response has specifically targeted uncommitted spot market cargoes only. In a reassuring statement PetroChina expressed interest in buying surplus LNG from the PNG LNG Project.    The necessity for foundation buyers of LNG is very important for LNG projects, and recently there has been considerable speculation about the initial buyers for the LNG that will be produced from the forthcoming Papua LNG Project. No news has been announced about potential buyers, leading some observers to speculate that the Project might be having difficulties with identifying suitable buyers. However, it is more likely that the Papua LNG Project joint venture led by TotalEnergies is just being tight-lipped about its LNG marketing.   With the events of the past few months in the Middle East, Pacific-based LNG sources ought to be prized, especially as they are not compromised by any strategic maritime straits. PNG has open-ocean access to East Asian LNG customers. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz removed a substantial amount of global LNG supply from the market.  This has demonstrated that the risk of physical disruption of LNG supply is now real, and that in turn damages the guarantees of supply that exist in LNG sales and purchase agreements. There is now a premium emerging for LNG supply from reliable producers through reliable routes of supply. The supply of LNG into the energy deficient markets of East Asian economies seeks more assurance of physical security of supply. This has caused customers to turn to US LNG exports as well as Australasian suppliers such as Papua New Guinea. This bodes well for the Papua LNG Project, its capture of foundational customers, and the continued sale of cargoes from the PNG LNG Project.  As the Papua LNG Project is still finalising its commercial framework and working towards a final investment decision (FID), the Project will most likely be targeting major international buyers in key Asian markets, such as Japan, China, and South Korea due to the region's geographic proximity and carefully assessing the ability of those countries to afford to buy energy in the form of LNG at a premium price.   Less buoyant economies within the region, although would-be buyers and wishing to import LNG as an energy-providing expedient, may have more difficulty demonstrating their financial capability to pay for cargoes and may have difficulty demonstrating that they have ready access to foreign exchange with which to pay for purchases. Again, the banks that are providing project financing would want to see not only binding Sales and Purchase Agreements, but such binding agreements would have to be with customers with good credit ratings and with guaranteed access to foreign exchange.  LNG sales are made on the basis of energy content sold to the buyer, typically measured in Million British Thermal Units (MMBTU) globally, especially in international spot and long-term contracts tied to US and Asian markets. However, the metric energy unit GigaJoules (GJ) is also widely used, particularly in domestic Australian and some regional European frameworks.  Oil referenced pricing has been a feature of LNG markets for a long time. The price paid for LNG is determined by reference to a formula linked to the crude oil price, typically the Japanese Customs Cleared Crude (JCC) index or Brent crude.  The former is the weighted-average price of crude oil imports into Japan based on official customs clearance statistics, and is widely used as a benchmark price in East Asian energy markets. Platts JKM is the LNG benchmark price assessment for spot sales of physical cargoes. It is referenced in spot deals, tenders and short-, medium- and long-term contracts both in Northeast Asia and globally. It reflects the spot market value of cargoes delivered ex-ship (DES) into Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan. Deliveries into these locations equate to the majority of global LNG demand. In Europe the Dutch TTF natural gas benchmark trades in Euros per megawatt-hour (MWh). The TTF index refers to the Title Transfer Facility, a virtual trading hub in the Netherlands that serves as the primary price benchmark for natural gas in Europe. Prices fluctuate daily based on regional demand, geopolitical updates, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo shipments. In the USA, the Henry Hub is a physical natural gas pipeline distribution point in Erath, Louisiana. It serves as the official delivery location and pricing benchmark for the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) natural gas futures contracts, setting the standard price for the North American natural gas market.    Figure 14: Natural gas prices during the last year, showing JKM, TTF and Henry Hub prices, after JOGMEC.   The historical reason for LNG pricing being linked to crude oil is that early LNG trades were primarily designed around substitution of oil for power generation and industrial supply of energy. Substitution values were essentially based on energy values equivalence. More than 50% of LNG cargoes are still priced using crude referencing, particularly in the Asia Pacific market. The crude oil price referencing provides a durable, stable and predictable pricing mechanism that is transparent and genuinely market responsive. To provide added stability, LNG sales and purchase agreements include cap-and-floor mechanisms that limit the indexing by reducing the reference to crude oil during abrupt spikes and troughs in crude oil price. This gives comfort to both the producers and the buyers, and enables them to continue production supply and cargo receipt during periods of crude oil volatility.   Admittedly, crude oil and natural gas as LNG have different markets. Whilst crude oil has an integrated and global price reference system, LNG pricing can be affected by regional and seasonal factors, especially LNG spot sales prices.  During the massive economic disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, LNG oversupply caused prices in Asia to fall to as low as US$ 3 per MMBTU, or about US$ 15 per barrel of oil equivalent (boe). Meantime, the European energy crisis of 2021-2022 caused Asian spot LNG prices to spike at US$ 60 per MMBTU, or about US$ 300 per boe.  More recent crises in the Middle East have again heightened crude oil prices, and hence LNG prices that are crude oil referenced, plus security of supply concerns have added a further premium.  Global LNG storage hubs are evolving to buffer the supply of LNG. Within Asia, there are LNG storage hubs in the key importing nations such as China, Japan and Korea.  Singapore is trying to replicate its success as a crude oil hub by providing LNG commercial and bunkering hub facilities.  Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines are also variously creating regional and domestic supply hubs. Some large integrated oil and gas companies are also intent on being global LNG suppliers gathering LNG from various LNG projects in which they are involved and selling equity LNG to customers.     The Usefulness of LNG   LNG is a cleaner burning fuel than coal or oil, in terms of its combustion and consequent air pollution and carbon dioxide output. Its total climate impact has been the subject of considerable debate due to LNG’s energy-intensive processing and leaks of natural gas from the system of gas supply.  However, the combustion of natural gas releases about 40% less carbon dioxide than burning coal, and fewer noxious substances are released. The combustion of LNG produces almost no sulphur dioxide or heavy particulates, or soot.   However, there are some hidden emissions.  Natural gas can escape (so-called fugitive emissions) during its extraction, pipeline transportation, and liquefaction, and methane, its main component, is about 80 times more potent in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.  The process of cooling natural gas to liquefy it at -162°C and shipping it overseas on large tankers requires a considerable amount of energy, which adds to the overall greenhouse gas footprint. The PNG LNG Project is said to use about 7.8% of the feedstock gas stream for liquefaction. But that still represents the combustion of 88 MMSCFD, or about six times more than the Hides Gas to Electricity Project produces and consumes for electric power generation.   The so-called fugitive emissions of natural gas are not normally entertained by respectable oil and gas companies which always try to keep petroleum of any kind, be it liquid or gas enclosed behind steel at all times. Much depends on the quality of the operating company and regulatory standards.  Moreover, it is not uncommon for some oil-rich nations to still persist in burning off or venting associated gas when producing crude; such is simply arrogantly profligate.  Overall, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change, says that natural-gas power produces 50% fewer emissions than coal power — even when fugitive natural gas emissions are taken into account. The IPCC says, “Taking into account revised estimates for fugitive methane emissions, recent lifecycle assessments indicate that specific GHG emissions are reduced by one half (on a per-kWh basis) when shifting from the current world-average coal-fired power plant to a modern natural gas combined-cycle (NGCC) power plant.”  Coal currently accounts for about 45% of global carbon dioxide emissions from fuel combustion, and the world burns over one million tons of coal every hour. So, clearly a replacement of coal by LNG is a step in the right direction, but inevitably the burning of any hydrocarbons will result in carbon dioxide as a product of combustion. Both within the Middle East and the USA, this process continues unabated where natural gas is often flared and wasted as operators seek to produce and sell just the petroleum liquids.    Figure 15: Gas flaring in the Middle East, after BBC and Google Earth, Google GB, Landsat, and Date SIO.         Figure 16: Natural gas flaring in the USA, after phys.org and Skytruth.     Throughout the energy industry there is a constant quest for lower emissions. Specifically, new LNG plants vie to become cleaner, either by reducing the amount of gas consumed in powering liquefaction processes or replacing the energy for such with alternative non-hydrocarbon supplies, such as solar or hydroelectric and/or wind power. The International Energy Agency has said that new technology can cut LNG emissions by up to 60%.  In general, operators of LNG plants are also endeavouring to improve operations for heightened safety, resilience, and efficiency. The application of the latest automation, digitalisation, and cybersecurity strategies are helping facilities optimise performance across the LNG value chain. Such may also provide better uptime, cost efficiency, compliance, and asset performance.    Papua New Guinea’s LNG Projects   In the absence of a developed economy that might provide domestic, commercial and industrial markets for Papua New Guinea’s gas resources, successive Governments have elected to permit export-focused gas development projects to be pursued. This has been allowed on the basis of Papua New Guinea garnering a significant share of the net take of such projects, and gaining a boost to its overall economy. Whilst the pursuit of revenue-raising gas development projects may provide valuable financial inputs into the economy of the Nation today, they will ultimately exhaust the gas resources upon which they are based.  Most likely further gas resources will indeed be identified, but that requires exploration, which needs to be incentivised somehow.  In recent years, incremental progress has been made towards some domestic gas utilisation, but with such a dispersed and disparate demand for energy, LNG development still remains the main focus, one might say, somewhat akin to cash cropping rather than subsistence farming.         Figure 17: The PNG LNG Project terminal with the LNG plant in the background, after ExxonMobil.   The PNG LNG Project is operated by ExxonMobil PNG Limited on behalf of its fellow venture partners which include Santos, Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited, the Mineral Resources Development Company and Eneo. Natural gas is produced from the well sites of the Hides and Angore gas fields in Hela Province and then treated at the Hides Gas Conditioning Plant, and joined by gas from the Kutubu and Agogo fields in the Southern Highlands Province. The natural gas is transported through an onshore and offshore gas pipeline system of overall length of approximately 700 kilometres to a two-train liquefaction plant at Caution Bay in Central Province. The LNG is then stored and loaded onto oceangoing LNG tankers for transport. Natural gas condensates recovered during gas conditioning are blended with Kutubu crude oil and exported through the Kumul Marine Terminal as Kutubu Blend.  Naphtha is also produced from final processing at the LNG plant. The PNG LNG Project currently produces up to 8 mta LNG. Since LNG production commenced in 2014 to the end of 2025, the PNG LNG Project has loaded 1,259 cargoes of LNG plus some 123 cargoes of naphtha containing 94.5 mta LNG equivalent primarily for long-term customers across East Asia.       Figure 18: Papua LNG Project map, after TotalEnergies.     The Papua LNG Project proposes a development of the Elk-Antelope gas field for the production of 6 mta LNG. TotalEnergies is the operator of this project on behalf of co-venturers ExxonMobil, Santos and Eneos. The Papua New Guinea government has a statutory right to take up to a 22.5% equity interest in the project. It seeks to become the country’s second LNG project by commercialising natural gas resources in the Gulf Province for export to the global market. Gas will be produced and conditioned in the field for pipeline transmission to four new electrically driven 1 mta liquefaction trains to be located adjacent to its existing PNG LNG Project liquefaction facilities. Ullage in the PNG LNG Project liquefaction plant is also expected to provide a further 2 mta processing capacity. ExxonMobil as a co-venturer has been delegated as the Papua LNG Project’s downstream operator.      Figure 19: A well on the P’nyang gas field, after PNG Business News.   The P’nyang LNG Project plans to develop the P’nyang gas field discovered in 1990 and located in the northern part of the Western Province in Petroleum Retention License 3. The field is estimated to have recoverable gas resources of about 4.6 TCF. In 2022, the P’nyang LNG Projects Gas Agreement was executed, followed by its Fiscal Stability Agreement in 2024. The field, which is located 130 km northeast of the Hides gas field will most likely be developed after the Papua LNG Project development, and will most likely link into existing gas pipeline infrastructure and the LNG plant. It is planned to produce 2.7 mta LNG. The project is led by ExxonMobil as operator on behalf of co-venturers Santos and Eneos. The Papua New Guinea government has a statutory right to take up to a 22.5% equity interest in the project.       Words = 6,736 

Westpac Pacific is investing in the future of banking across the region through its Future Banker Development Series, a dedicated professional development program designed to strengthen the skills, confidence and expertise of emerging banking professionals in Fiji and Papua New Guinea. The six-month program reflects Westpac's commitment to developing talent across the Pacific and equipping employees with the capabilities needed to support customers in an increasingly dynamic financial environment. Bringing together early- and mid-career banking professionals from across Fiji and Papua New Guinea, the Future Banker Development Series provides participants with access to development opportunities that draw on the experience, expertise and learning frameworks of the broader Westpac Group, while remaining grounded in the realities of Pacific banking. The program focuses on the practical skills that underpin strong customer relationships and professional excellence, including communication, emotional intelligence, stakeholder engagement, customer conversations and personal effectiveness. Participants complete a structured learning journey that combines virtual learning, peer collaboration and practical workplace application. Westpac Pacific is celebrating the success of its inaugural cohort, with 15 participants having completed or being in the final stages of completing the program. Westpac PNG Head of Corporate & Commercial Banking Patrick Wright said developing banking capability is particularly important as Papua New Guinea continues to invest in economic growth and business development. "Papua New Guinea is a market full of opportunity, with businesses expanding, industries evolving and customers requiring increasingly sophisticated financial support. Ensuring our people have the skills and knowledge to meet those needs is essential." Wright said the program provides emerging banking professionals with exposure to proven learning frameworks and industry expertise from across the Westpac Group. "Future Banker provides emerging banking professionals with exposure to proven learning frameworks and industry expertise from across the Westpac Group, helping them broaden their capabilities while applying those insights within the PNG context. It's an investment in the people who will help shape the future of banking in Papua New Guinea." Wright said bringing participants together from across the Pacific also creates broader benefits for customers and the business. "There is enormous value in learning from colleagues across different markets. Sharing experiences, ideas and perspectives helps build stronger banking professionals and ultimately allows us to deliver better outcomes for our customers, businesses and communities." Through programs such as Future Banker, Westpac is helping build a pipeline of skilled banking professionals equipped to support the Pacific's evolving financial services sector, combining local market knowledge with development opportunities drawn from the wider Westpac Group.

Hastings Deering PNG showcased its long-standing commitment to Papua New Guinea's resources sector at this year's event, while highlighting the important role skills development and local capability continue to play in supporting the nation's growth. A key highlight for Hastings Deering PNG was an exclusive visit from Prime Minister James Marape ahead of the official opening of the exhibition. During his tour, Prime Minister Marape visited the Hastings Deering PNG stand. Accompanied by government ministers, industry representatives and members of the media, the Prime Minister spent time engaging with the Hastings Deering PNG team, experiencing the Learning Simulator and learning more about the company's investment in training, capability development and workforce readiness. Prime Minister Marape acknowledged Hastings Deering PNG's significant contribution to developing Papua New Guinean talent and supporting the nation's workforce through technical training, apprenticeships and long-term career opportunities. He also recognised the company's proud history of more than 75 years of operations in PNG and its ongoing contribution to the country's economic growth and development. Through ongoing investment in training and professional development, Hastings Deering PNG continues to help build the skilled workforce needed to support PNG's growing resources and infrastructure sectors. Hastings Deering PNG Sales and Marketing Manager Anthony Rosson said the company's success is built on the strength, capability and commitment of its workforce. "At Hastings Deering PNG, we help customers maximise productivity through industry-leading Caterpillar equipment and the expertise of our local team. Every machine purchased through Hastings Deering PNG represents a dual investment: in proven Caterpillar performance and in the Papua New Guineans who provide the technical support, service and expertise that keep customer operations running. "PNG Resource Week provided an excellent platform to demonstrate the value Hastings Deering PNG delivers beyond the equipment. Our customers gain access to world-class equipment while directly supporting the development of local skills, jobs and capabilities, creating benefits that extend well beyond the worksite and assist in the long-term development of PNG communities." Across the four-day exhibition, the team connected with customers, business partners, government representatives and industry stakeholders, demonstrating Hastings Deering PNG's expertise across equipment sales, product support, service solutions, and learning and development. The event provided valuable opportunities to strengthen existing relationships, explore future business opportunities and share insights on the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. PNG Resource Week 2026 provided a valuable platform to showcase the expertise of the Hastings Deering PNG team, strengthen industry partnerships and reaffirm the company's role in supporting the industries and communities contributing to PNG's future growth and prosperity.