EAST TIMOR WANTS TO PROCESS GREATER SUNRISE GAS ONSHORE

JAKARTA, Feb 28 Asia Pulse - East Timor is continuing to push for the gas from the lucrative Greater Sunrise gas field to be processed onshore in the country.

Australia and East Timor last week finally settled their arrangements over the multi-billion dollar gas field and their related seabed boundary agreement after years of negotiations.

It followed ratification of the two agreements by East Timor's parliament last week, which carve up billions of dollars in Timor Sea oil and gas between the two countries.

However, the location of a proposed liquefied natural gas processing plant for the Greater Sunrise field is yet to be decided, with East Timor and northern Australia both eager to win the project.

East Timor's Prime Minister Dr Jose Ramos-Horta today vowed to explore all possible avenues for the country to gain full benefits from the future development of the massive gas field.

He has asked international and Timorese experts to gather next month in Dili to draw up a plan for options for a pipeline to deliver the gas to East Timor.

"It is necessary to address this issue now, independently of the Woodside-led joint venture partners as we need to be prepared for the eventuality that the independent assessment finds it technically and economically feasible to site it here," Ramos-Horta said.

"But at the same time we have to be conscious of the need to be realistic and pragmatic about the issue not to allow ourselves to be hostages to our own wishes.

"They will be looking at drawing up a plan to explore all avenues about the possibility of bringing the pipeline from Greater Sunrise to Timor-Leste."

Under the agreements settled last week, Australia and East Timor will split the royalties from the field 50:50, and delay negotiations on a permanent maritime boundary for 50 years.

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