PRIME Minister Hon. James Marape has extended his gratitude to senior leaders from ExxonMobil’s headquarters in Houston, Texas, who visited Papua New Guinea to reaffirm the company’s long-term commitment to the country’s energy sector.
Three senior ExxonMobil corporate executives, led by outgoing Upstream President Liam
Mallon, traveled to PNG to personally bid farewell to Prime Minister Marape as he prepares to retire from his role. Mr. Mallon, a key figure in ExxonMobil’s operations in PNG,
expressed his appreciation for the strong partnership between the company and the
Government of Papua New Guinea.
“I want to thank the ExxonMobil leaders from their Houston head office, especially Liam
Mallon, who flew all the way to PNG to say farewell,” Prime Minister Marape said.
“He has been a strong partner in ensuring the success of PNG LNG and has worked
closely with us over the years. His commitment to our country will be remembered, and
we wish him well in his retirement.”
During the meeting, Mr. Mallon introduced his successor, Dan Ammann, the incoming
Upstream President, who will now take over ExxonMobil’s global upstream operations.
Prime Minister Marape also congratulated Ms. Tera Shandro, the outgoing Managing
Director of ExxonMobil PNG, on her promotion to Vice President of Upstream Business,
based at the company’s global headquarters in Houston.
“We are proud that Ms. Shandro, after her time in Papua New Guinea, has been
elevated to a senior global role within ExxonMobil. This speaks volumes about the
importance of PNG in the company’s operations,” PM Marape said.
“We wish her all the best in her new role and look forward to continuing a strong relationship with ExxonMobil under the leadership of Dinesh Siwasimboo, the incomingChairman and Managing Director of ExxonMobil PNG.”
The meeting also included Peter Clarke, Senior Vice President for Global LNG, who provided
updates on ExxonMobil’s commitment to advancing key projects in PNG, including the ongoing developments at Angore, progress on P’nyang, and efforts to synchronise multiple LNG fields for greater efficiency.
Prime Minister Marape noted that ExxonMobil is also working closely with TotalEnergies to support the successful delivery of the Papua LNG project, which is expected to play a significant role in PNG’s energy future.
“This collaboration between ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies will ensure that Papua LNG is
developed efficiently and contributes to the broader synchronisation of PNG’s LNG projects,
maximising benefits for our country,” Prime Minister Marape said.
“They assured me that PNG LNG remains one of the best-performing fields globally and that the company remains committed to ensuring PNG continues to be a major energy producer for at least the next 30 years,” he added.
ExxonMobil’s leaders also discussed the importance of positioning Papua New Guinea as
a producer of clean and green LNG. The company recognises PNG’s negative carbon footprint and the country’s potential to market its LNG as a cleaner, more sustainable energy source in the global market.
“We discussed the importance of aligning our LNG production with PNG’s green credentials,”
PM Marape said.
“Our goal is to brand Papua New Guinea as a green energy nation, producing LNG from a
country with a negative carbon footprint. This will make our LNG more attractive to buyers in both spot and long-term contracted markets.”
ExxonMobil further highlighted PNG’s strategic location and proximity to major markets, which places the country in a favorable position for energy exports.
Prime Minister Marape concluded by expressing his confidence in ExxonMobil’s continued
leadership in PNG’s energy sector and the Government’s commitment to supporting further LNG developments.
“ExxonMobil’s senior leadership has assured me that PNG is a top priority in their global portfolio, PM Marape said.
“We look forward to continuing our partnership to ensure the success of current and future
LNG projects, which will play a significant role in the country’s economic growth for decades to come.”
