The Government, through the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, signed new contracts on September 24th, 2026, in Dili for technical studies along the planned routes of the Greater Sunrise and Bayu-Undan gas pipelines to Timor-Leste. The contracts cover geotechnical investigations and other surveys to deepen understanding of seabed and subsea conditions and to support route definition and the future development of the projects.
The contracts were concluded with Fugro Singapore Marine Pte and the Indonesian company PT Taka Hydrocore, and the programme of studies for the offshore areas planned for the installation of gas transport infrastructure to Natarbora on the southern coast of Timor-Leste will continue.
The work will enable the collection and analysis of data on the characteristics of the seabed and subsea along the planned pipeline corridors, including in areas with depths of up to approximately three thousand metres. The information collected will be used to assess route conditions, identify potential risks, and support subsequent engineering and project design phases.
The Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Francisco da Costa Monteiro, explained that the studies include seabed sampling using specialised equipment and vessels. The results will then be analysed to determine the characteristics and suitability of the proposed routes.
Francisco Monteiro stated that the objective is to determine “whether the route is suitable, whether there are risks along the path where the pipeline will pass, or whether there are areas with potential for landslides. Subsequently, the expert teams will collect and re-analyse these data to determine whether it is possible to install the pipeline in that location.”
Within the scope of the work awarded to Fugro, the use of specialised drilling and seabed investigation technologies is envisaged. This work complements the geophysical survey previously contracted to the same company, which is scheduled to begin in November 2026. Geotechnical investigation is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027, with a data collection campaign planned across multiple execution periods, depending on the work to be carried out.
The contract with PT Taka Hydrocore provides for a specific geotechnical investigation to be carried out over approximately six months. According to the Minister, the data obtained will be incorporated into the necessary design and engineering work before the subsequent phases of infrastructure development.
“This contract allows the company to carry out the work over six months. Once the investigation results are obtained, these data will be used to correct and complete the necessary projects before entering the final engineering design phase, so that construction and implementation of the projects can proceed,” explained Minister Francisco da Costa Monteiro.
These new studies form part of the technical preparation for the infrastructure planned to transport gas from Greater Sunrise and Bayu-Undan to Timor-Leste and will provide data to define the routes and support subsequent engineering stages of the projects.