Papua New Guinea could be entering the longest period of major project construction in its history, with a potential US$60 billion pipeline of gas developments offering an unprecedented opportunity to build a permanent national construction and services industry.

PORT MORESBY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA — Following Parliament's passage of the legislative changes required for the US$14.5 billion Papua LNG project, PNG Chamber of Resources & Energy (PNGCORE) President and PNG Investment Week Convenor Anthony Smaré says the country must prepare for a generation of construction activity.

The legislation was certified on Friday, 6 November, bringing the landmark Papua LNG development closer to a Final Investment Decision (FID).

“Papua LNG will be the first of several. Once the partners take FID we start building, and if we manage it well we won't stop for a long time. P'nyang, Muruk, Pasca and Wildebeest are all lined up behind it. Put them together and PNG has twenty years of construction work in front of it.”

— Anthony Smaré, President, PNGCORE

About US$60 Billion in Potential Gas Projects

Papua LNG is expected to cost approximately US$14.5 billion, with several other major gas developments positioned to follow.

The P'nyang project is estimated at approximately US$10 billion, Muruk at US$3 billion and Twinza's offshore Pasca development at around US$2.5 billion across two phases.

Together, these projects represent approximately US$30 billion in potential investment.

Wildebeest, which remains to be drilled and proven, could potentially represent another US$30 billion in investment, bringing the combined gas project pipeline to approximately US$60 billion.

The major Wafi-Golpu and Frieda River copper-gold developments would represent additional investment beyond the gas project pipeline.

“PNG LNG cost about US$19 billion and it changed our economy. If Wildebeest is proven, we are looking at about three times that in gas projects alone. I don't think people here or overseas have fully realised what is coming.”

Learning from PNG LNG

Mr Smaré said that the greatest opportunity would come not simply from individual projects, but from coordinating their development so construction activity could flow continuously from one project to another.

At the peak of PNG LNG construction, more than 21,000 people were employed. By the time construction concluded in 2014, the workforce had declined to approximately 2,000.

Many contractors departed the country, workers lost employment and locally owned businesses faced significant challenges after investing in equipment, infrastructure and personnel.

“A welder who finishes on Papua LNG can go straight to P'nyang. A company that builds a fabrication yard or runs a camp has a reason to keep it open and keep investing.”

With the right sequencing, PNG has the potential to establish a sustainable domestic construction and services industry, encompassing skilled tradespeople, engineering firms, fabrication and maintenance facilities, equipment suppliers, logistics operators, marine services and supporting financial institutions.

A Long-Term Opportunity for Investors

Mr Smaré said the prospective pipeline of developments offered investors a stronger foundation for long-term capital commitments.

A series of major projects extending over two decades, led by ExxonMobil, Kumul Petroleum, Santos and their partners, could give businesses greater confidence to invest in infrastructure, workforce training, accommodation, transport and industrial facilities.

“The companies that commit to PNG in the next couple of years will grow with this pipeline. Those that wait will find others have got there first.”

PNG Investment Week 2026: Where Capital Meets Opportunity

The anticipated investment pipeline will be a major focus of PNG Investment Week 2026, taking place at ICC Sydney, Australia, from 29 November to 2 December 2026.

The event will bring together government leaders, developers, regulators, financiers, international contractors and businesses to examine the opportunities emerging across PNG's resources, energy and infrastructure sectors.

The potential US$60 billion gas development pipeline, headlined by Papua LNG, will feature in addresses and discussions involving Prime Minister Hon. James Marape, Santos Managing Director and CEO Kevin Gallagher, ExxonMobil PNG Chairman and Managing Director Dinesh Sivasamboo and Kumul Petroleum Holdings Chairman Isaac Lupari.

Prime Minister Marape is scheduled to open the PNG Leaders Summit on Monday, 30 November, while Papua LNG will be featured in a dedicated session at the PNG Resources Investment Summit on Tuesday, 1 December.

“Anyone who wants to be involved in PNG's next twenty years should come to Sydney. We are seeing incredible interest from international contractors, suppliers and financiers.”