East Timor eyeing new Greater Sunrise treaty – Pires
A rig operating in the Timor Sea. Australia and East Timor have disputed claims to the region's resources. (PTTEP)
After gaining independence in 2002, East Timor (Timor-Leste) negotiated a series of treaties with Australia over rights to the Timor Sea’s hydrocarbon resources. However, the tiny Southeast Asian nation now disputes the agreements.
Alfredo Pires, East Timor’s minister for natural resources, told Interfax Natural Gas Daily that his nation is ready to develop the Woodside-operated Greater Sunrise fields, which hold undeveloped reserves estimated at more than 142 billion cubic metres of gas.