Papua New Guinea LNG partners set plans for big expansion

Melbourne

GLOBAL giants ExxonMobil Corp and France's Total SA have reached broad agreement on plans to double gas exports from Papua New Guinea, their partner Oil Search Ltd said on Tuesday.

The plan to expand the ExxonMobil-operated Papua New Guinea liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant to around 16 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) would see it rival Australia's biggest LNG projects, at a cost of around US$13 billion, according to analysts.

Oil Search said the companies plan to add three new LNG units, or trains, with two underpinned by gas from the Elk-Antelope fields, run by Total, and one underpinn…