A joint venture between French energy giant TotalEnergies and Malaysian heavyweight Petronas is gearing up to drill Papua New Guinea’s first deepwater exploration well later this year.
The duo is reportedly in advanced discussions with drilling contractors to secure a DP3 (dynamically positioned) drillship equipped with a managed pressure drilling system. This will support the Mailu-1 exploration well, set to be drilled in the second half of 2025 in water depths of approximately 2100 meters.
This ambitious venture represents a milestone in Papua New Guinea’s oil and gas sector, with the potential to unlock significant resources in the country’s deepwater frontier.
