02/09/2026
THE ARCHITECT BEHIND PNG LNG’S FUTURE
_The Strategic Decisions That Shaped PNG’s LNG Resources Future_
The untold story of PNG’sLNG development should be understood beyond ceremonies, inaugurations and political headlines. At its foundation were tough strategic decisions that shaped:
- Where PNG’sLNG be processed including Value creation.
- Who would benefit from the resources spinoffs?
- How much economic value would remain within PNG?
- Where employment,investment & business opportunities would be created?
- What resource legacy would be secured for our future generations?
Among the key figures associated with that strategic direction was Hon. William Mara Duma LLB,LLM,CMG, MP ,former minister responsible for Petroleum & Energy current Minister for State-Owned Enterprises and URP Party Leader. His critical foresight & knowledge contributed to PNG’s petroleum and energy sector deserves to be examined through the lens of policy, national interest and long-term economic strategy—not merely partisan politics.
At a critical juncture in the country’s petroleum history, the question was not simply whether PNG possessed commercially viable gas. The much larger question was; What PNG would do with that resource? A particularly significant decision attributed to his tenure was his brave wisdom to strongly oppose the proposed development pathway involving Chevron Niugini Limited, a subsidiary of the United States-based Chevron Corporation, under which PNG gas was to be pipeline to North Queensland, Australia, for further processing & value extraction.
The argument surrounding Duma’s intervention is that he recognized a fundamental national-interest issue: If PNG’s gas were processed offshore, much of the associated employment, industrial activity, contracting and downstream economic opportunities could also have been created offshore rather within PNG shores.
Hon.Duma strongly insisted on developing PNG’s gas resources on our shores for a LNG processing model represented a fundamental assertion of national economic sovereignty. Chevron subsequently exited PNG the very next day, with its assets later acquired by Oil Search, while the country continued along a different pathway of processing and extracting its values including benefits within the shores of PNG as it’s today.
Its significance lies in the development philosophy behind it, which was carefully crafted with the knowledge, wisdom, and foresight. It was fundamentally a debate about economic architecture and national participation.
Today, the fruits of PNG's LNG industry are visible across the country—in government revenues, infrastructure, businesses, employment, landowner benefits including Hela, Central & Western Provinces participation.
The deeper lesson, however, is greater than LNG itself: That single, consequential decision by Hon. William Duma helped lay an important foundation for the evolution of PNG’s LNG industry and set a strategic blueprint for future resource development. By insisting on a model that prioritized greater value creation within PNG, his leadership helped demonstrate that our natural resources can generate benefits beyond extraction and export—through employment, local businesses, infrastructure, investment and broader economic participation.
The emergence of PNG LNG, Papua LNG, Western and other major resource projects stands as part of that evolving legacy.
_True leaders of vision and foresight are not easily swayed by money, influence or short-term interests. They possess the courage and conviction to make difficult decisions for the greater good—safeguarding their nation’s interests, strengthening its economic sovereignty, and protecting the prosperity and wellbeing of future generations._
File Pic supplied.
Hon Jason Peter member for Huon Gulf, MP
Hon. Jelta Wong MP
PNG Political Limelights
Robert Mawe
