Papua New Guinea's Oil Search Ltd says its drilling activities in the Gulf of Papua have attracted interest from major energy companies that believe it will find large gas reserves.
The company has announced it has started the largest drilling programme in its history, with plans to spend more than two billion US dollars this year on exploration and the huge LNG project in which it is a joint venture partner.
Three offshore discoveries have already been made in the Gulf and while the resource could be incorporated into an expanded PNG LNG, Oil Search's managing director Peter Botten named Talisman Energy and Shell as potential partners.
He says Exxon Mobil, Talisman, Shell and a range of other very credible LNG players are looking at PNG.
