The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of Timor Leste (MPRM) and TIMOR GAP, E.P. have signed a cooperation agreement with StreamTec Solutions AG (STS), a Swiss-based company, for the design of a natural gas pipeline and the establishment of a public-private partnership company named “STREAMTEC Timor-Leste Pipeline, CO.” (STS TL)

The new company will be owned 70% by TIMOR GAP, E.P. and 30% by STS, and will be responsible for promoting, operating, and maintaining a pipeline highway that will transport natural gas from the Bayu Undan and nearby fields to Natarbora. The project involves the construction of a circa 250km ultra deepwater pipeline and the formation of this company represents a logical, creative, and commercially strategic initiative aimed at stimulating development in the south coast by enabling the transportation of gas from the Timor Sea to Natarbora.

His Excellency the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Francisco da Costa Monteiro, highlighted the declining production at the Bayu Undan field and ongoing consideration to close the commercial route (pipeline) to Australia. In that context, the Minister emphasised the need to develop a domestic pipeline solution that supports the continued use of remaining reserves and aligning with the potential development of the Chuditch and other nearby gas fields.

On the timeline, the Minister noted that the pipeline design phase could be completed in one to two years, and a joint study will be carried out with active involvement of Timorese to support local capacity-building in future operations and maintenance.

Regarding implementation, the project is intended to begin in the short term. StreamTec representative Dr. Georg Nowack shared the company’s experience with large-scale pipeline projects, notably with the Ostsee Anbindungsleitung (OAL) LNG pipeline system in Germany, which was completed in a record 18 months from concept to completion.

Previously, StreamTec has been involved in gas pipeline feasibility studies for MPRM on the Greater Sunrise project, and the Government is now looking to strengthen this partnership as part of a broader strategy to use existing Bayu Undan infrastructure for future exports of gas from Bayu Undan, Chuditch and other nearby gas fields to Natarbora on the south coast of Timor-Leste.