Esso Highlands commences LNG drilling at Hides
16 September 2012
Comtex News Network
ESSO HIGHLANDS LIMITED has commenced drilling operations of the PNG LNG project at the Hides natural gas field in the Southern Highlands Province.
The drill wells will produce approximately 9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas over the life of the project.
"The PNG LNG Project is unique and important for Papua New Guinea. The start of our drilling program is a key step in meeting our goal of first LNG deliveries in 2014," said drilling manager Jim McDermott.
A Nabors Rig 702 is being used to drill the initial well. The rig has been designed to withstand earthquakes and includes containment equipment and facilities to protect the environment.
A second rig to be used in the PNG LNG Project drilling program has arrived in PNG and is currently being transported to the Hides area.
"We have an exceptional team, including Papua New Guinean drilling engineers who recently returned from Melbourne where they spent a year-and-a-half learning about ExxonMobil's drilling operations. They are now putting their training into practice," said Mr. McDermott.
It's another rip-off for the people of Papua New Guinea.
Posted by: Joe Wasia | 18 September 2012 at 03:51 PM
Roger has summed this up correctly with his first paragraph... says it all and then apply the same to Moran, Homa Paua, and all Kutubu fields, and down the pipe line to Kikori.... not much to show in any of the villages for what has been paid out..
Posted by: Kevin O'Regan | 18 September 2012 at 10:29 AM
The government should come clear on how much money it has given to paper landowners in Port Moresby for projects they have nothing to show for in Hides.
That will clear the issue of no service delivery to the people living in the villages, basically it's their own fault.
If the government officials have their kickbacks in project funding, causing no project in the villages, the government and the landowners have to clear it up with the landowners in the villages before we have another Bougainville.
Posted by: Roger Kaman | 18 September 2012 at 06:52 AM
The mobile squad is now stationed permanently on the well pad sites and camp sites in Hides due to increasing tensions in the area, there have been running skirmishes with landowner groups further up the spine line and attacks on project vehicles in the area.
Meeting violence with violence is a bad idea but they don’t appear to be listening.
Posted by: Phil Fitzpatrick | 16 September 2012 at 02:42 PM
This all sounds good. I was watching TV last night and saw them pulling down a huge platform out at sea that I think had been involved with producing natural gas for the UK over many years.
The main problem with the PNG LNG project is that the LNG probably won't be going to the people of PNG, but the money from the royalties from it should be.
It is good to hear that they have an exceptional team, including PNGean drilling engineers, for the drilling operations.
I hope somebody is also seeing that there is an exceptional team coming together to handle the royalties and the expenditure of them for the benefit of the people of the Southern Highlands Province, and eventually all parts of PNG. We don't want a repeat of the Bougainville saga.
Posted by: Mrs Barbara Short | 16 September 2012 at 02:24 PM