DILI, 13 september 2022 (TATOLI) – Onshore oil and gas exploration in the southwestern part of Timor-Leste by a privately owned Australian oil and gas company, Timor Resources, has already employed more than 500 Timorese workers.
“During the seismic surveys for oil and gas exploration in Feto Kmaus and Liu-Rai in Covalima municipality, we employed more than 250 Timorese workers. Meanwhile, we also employed more than 250 Timorese workers during the seismic survey in Manufahi municipality,” Andrade told reporters after a meeting with Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak today in Farol, Dili.
He said these Timorese workers had demonstrated good performance under the minimal supervision of their international counterparts.
“We hope that one day all these Timorese workers will work independently without the supervision of the international workers. As we have seen so far, these Timorese people have the capacity to carry out the task they have been assigned and have the ability to do the work,” he said.
Andrade emphasized that Timor Resources had made a significant investment in capacity building and training in oil and gas exploration: “As a result, some Timorese workers need less assistance or supervision because they can do the work without relying on their international colleagues.”
He said that as a new nation, capacity building and training are important to level up the skills of local workers to perform well.
Timor Resources is a privately owned Australian oil and gas company, incorporated in 2016, for the sole purpose of exploring oil and gas onshore in Timor-Leste.
Timor Resources is committed to unlocking the onshore resource potential of Timor-Leste, an emerging South East Asian nation with proven petroleum prospectivity that remains undrilled for almost 50 years.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
