The Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, and the Executive Director of the Woodside Petroleum Company, Meg O’Neill, held a meeting on March 6^th, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia, to discuss issues related to the development process of the Greater Sunrise strategic oilfield project. Dialogue between the Prime Minister and the Director of Woodside on the development of Greater Sunrise

During the meeting, the Prime Minister and Woodside’s CEO discussed the feasibility studies for the Greater Sunrise development and the negotiation process with Australia on the resource development concept.

The Head of Government reiterated Timor-Leste’s position to establish a supply base and refinery on the South Coast to connect to the Greater Sunrise pipeline. This would develop a national petroleum industry and ensure fair benefits for Timor-Leste in the exploitation of mineral resources. Dialogue between the Prime Minister and the Director of Woodside on the development of Greater Sunrise

Xanana Gusmão emphasised that, now that Timor-Leste’s fight for the permanent delimitation of maritime borders with Australia has been concluded, the Minister for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Francisco da Costa Monteiro, and his team are working hard to coordinate with Woodside and the other parties involved to move this process forward.

Meg O’Neill expressed her gratitude to the Government of Timor-Leste for its continued confidence in working together to develop Greater Sunrise. Dialogue between the Prime Minister and the Director of Woodside on the development of Greater Sunrise

Woodside, an Australian energy company, is part of the consortium developing the Greater Sunrise fields (Sunrise Joint Venture). It owns 33.44 per cent, TIMOR GAP 56.6 per cent, and Osaka Gas Australia 10 per cent.

The Sunrise and Troubadour natural and condensate gas fields, together known as the Greater Sunrise fields, are located about 150 kilometres south-east of Timor-Leste and 450 kilometres north-west of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia.

At the meeting, the Prime Minister was accompanied by the Vice Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs and Minister of Tourism and Environment, Francisco Kalbuadi Lay; the Vice Minister for ASEAN Affairs, Milena Rangel; the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito dos Santos Freitas; Timor-Leste’s Ambassador to Australia, Inês de Almeida; and technical team.