FRETILIN welcomes the purchase of Woodside’s stake in Greater Sunrise Project

DÍLI, 28 October 2026 (TATOLI) – The Revolutionary Front for an Independent Timor-Leste (FRETILIN) welcomes the announcement that the Australian Woodside Energy and Timor-Leste’s Timor GAP have struck an agreement to sell its 33. 44% stake in the development of the Greater Sunrise oil and gas field. “This acquisition places Timor-Leste in a stronger position with regards to the development of Greater Sunrise field and it is consistent with the demand I have personally made as Prime Minister in the First Constitutional Government since January 2006 that as a matter of justice, the pipeline for Greater Sunrise should come to Timor-Leste since the Bayu Undan has been piped to Australia,” Secretary General of FRETILIN, Mari Alkatiri said in a statement.

“When this agreement is finalised, coupled with the earlier agreement for the purchase of Osaka Gas Australia’s 10% Stake, Timor GAP will own 100% participation in the project. 100% stake means 100% responsibility, but this does not imply that Timor-Leste is now the sole decision maker in the development of Greater Sunrise field. ” Alkatiri explained. The 2018 Maritime Boundary Treaty between Timor-Leste and Australia, particularly the Greater Sunrise Special Regime under Annex B established that any decision on the development of the Greater Sunrise field is subject to the approval of institutional arrangements constituted by the treaty representing both countries through the designated Authority and the Governance Board whose decision is by consensus. Mari Alkatiri, FRETILIN Secretary-General – Photo: TATOLI/Antonio Daciparu FRETILIN’s members of parliament voted against the inclusion of this provision in the maritime boundary treaty in 2018, arguing that commercial interests such as the split of resources and their…