“Take back PNG” is a key government slogan
Papuan tactics continue to threaten foreign investment
Singapore-based Twinza Oil’s Papua New Guinea plans remain under threat as seeming favouritism towards state-owned Kumul Petroleum presents another blow to Pasca A ambitions
The Papuan government awarded the offshore Pandora licence to NOC Kumul Petroleum in early September—the fourth granted to the firm in less than five months. Petroleum minister Kerenga Kua said that for Kumul, the award is a “significant step forward in its mandate...and also fulfils the Marape-Basil [PNG’s prime minister and deputy, respectively] government’s greater vision of ‘Take Back PNG’.” Kumul Petroleum’s mandate is “to protect and optimise the value of the country’s petroleum resources...so that the people can benefit”, according to managing director Wapu Sonk. This apparent resource nationalism has already dealt a further blow to Singapore-based IOC Twinza Oil’s stalled plans for a
Also in this section
17 February 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 26–30 April 2026, will bring together leaders from the political, industrial, financial and technology sectors under the unifying theme “Pathways to an Energy Future for All”
17 February 2026
Siemens Energy has been active in the Kingdom for nearly a century, evolving over that time from a project-based foreign supplier to a locally operating multi-national company with its own domestic supply chain and workforce
17 February 2026
Eni’s chief operating officer for global natural resources, Guido Brusco, takes stock of the company’s key achievements over the past year, and what differentiates its strategy from those of its peers in the LNG sector and beyond
16 February 2026
As the third wave of global LNG arrives, Wood Mackenzie’s director for Europe gas and LNG, Tom Marzec-Manser, discusses with Petroleum Economist the outlook for Europe’s gas market in 2026
