Pasay city: Timor-Leste is actively pursuing investment and workforce participation from the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations to develop the Greater Sunrise gas fields in the Timor Sea, a project valued in the multibillion-dollar range.

According to Philippines News Agency, Timor-Leste Ambassador to the Philippines, Marciano Octavio Garcia Da Silva, revealed during the Foreign Service Institute lecture series in Pasay City that discussions are ongoing with Australia to transport gas from these untapped fields to a processing plant in Timor-Leste. This initiative is expected to create job opportunities not only for Timorese citizens but also for workers from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other ASEAN countries.

Upon its accession as the newest ASEAN member-state, Timor-Leste has proactively invited ASEAN investors to explore investment opportunities in its capital, Dili, and in the Greater Sunrise project. The Greater Sunrise fields, which consist of the Sunrise and Troubadour fields located approximately 140 kilometers south of Timor-Leste's coast, contain an estimated 5.1 trillion cubic feet of gas. The gas is valued between USD50 billion to USD70 billion.

On November 25, Timor-Leste and Woodside Energy, a Perth-based company, formally agreed to evaluate the feasibility of transporting gas from these fields to a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Timor-Leste. This agreement includes plans for a greenfield LNG development capable of producing around 5 million tons per annum, featuring a domestic gas facility and a helium extraction plant.

The cooperation also outlines a high-level plan for key activities, targeting the first production of LNG between 2032 to 2035.