Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin – East Timor has accused Woodside of "grandstanding" over its plans to build a floating liquefied natural gas platform above the Timor Sea's Greater Sunrise field, in the latest salvo in an acrimonious stand-off over the multibillion-dollar project.
Government spokesman Agio Pereira accused Woodside's chief executive Don Voelte of trying to justify what he called the company's "untenable" position when he told the UBS Resources Conference this week that it was "time for this project's day in the sun".
"Let me be very clear, this time, Timor Leste (East Timor) has the knowledge, expertise, international support and time to get this right and ensure a fair and equitable outcome," Mr Pereira said in a statement released in Dili.
East Timor's leaders have bluntly rejected Woodside's plans, insisting the company and its joint-venture partners pipe its gas to a processing plant in East Timor.
Woodside claims it has formally lodged a development plan with the National Petroleum Authority, regulator of East Timor's petroleum industry, as it is required to do under the Greater Sunrise agreement signed 2-and-a-half years ago.
But the authority insists the company has not fulfilled its legal requirements under the agreement and says the plan has not been accepted.
"The ball's back in Woodside's court," Mr Pereira said. "Woodside can grandstand through the media and speeches or they can do their due diligence, required to re-establish the processes necessary through the appropriate mechanisms," he said.
Mr Pereira reiterated his government's stand that a floating platform "does not provide the best commercial advantage in line with best oilfield practice".
He said that while Woodside claimed that East Timor would receive $US13 billion ($A15.3 billion) in income from the floating platform, it would make at least $US65 billion if the gas was processed on shore.
Mr Pereira said Mr Voelte failed to share with his conference audience that if the development plan was not approved by 2013 or if Sunrise LNG production has not started by 2017, the project agreement could be cancelled and Sunrise activity suspended until a new agreement could be negotiated.
Woodside declined to comment last night.