A number of joint ventures in Papua New Guinea are getting near to spudding significant natural gas appraisal wells that are important to their liquefied natural gas ambitions.

The first of two big gas appraisals will spud shortly, according to PNG’s leading operator Oil Search.

The P’nyang South-2 well in Block PRL3 in the north-west Highlands is the first appraisal well on the P’nyang field, which is reserved as feedstock into one or more expansion trains at the ExxonMobil-led PNG LNG project.