President Ramos-Horta defends fossil fuel development as economic lifeline for climate transition
DÍLI, 19 October 2026 (TATOLI) – Speaking at the Global Citizen NOW: Perth 2026 Summit on Monday, President of the Republic and Nobel Peace Laureate José Ramos-Horta delivered a pragmatic and unvarnished defense of Timor-Leste’s energy strategy, affirming that developing offshore gas resources like Greater Sunrise remains an indispensable necessity for national survival.
Participating in the high-level panel on “Energy Security and Independence” alongside former Kiribati President Anote Tong and Green Climate Fund Director Marie-Ange Saraka-Yao, the Head of State revealed that Timor-Leste will soon finalize a new agreement with Woodside Energy and the Australian Federal Government, stressing that fossil fuel revenues are essential to finance the nation’s eventual transition toward green energy.
Addressing the apparent paradox between endorsing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and pursuing gas expansion, President Ramos-Horta emphasized that while Timor-Leste has achieved 100% national electrification, it remains burdened by exorbitant diesel costs that threaten economic investment compared to the world’s major industrial powers, while pointing out that Timor-Leste is already advancing renewable alternatives, including a recently launched $100 million solar project with France’s EDF and Japanese partners to power 100,000 households.
In a sharp critique of the multilateral financing architecture, the President warned that developing nations cannot abandon fossil fuels when international climate aid remains crippled by bureaucracy and broken promises.
The Head of the State underscored that Official Development Assistance (ODA) and humanitarian budgets have suffered drastic cuts as traditional OECD donors redirected funds toward the war in Ukraine and European refugee relief, noting that accessing climate funds often takes up to four years: “Even if we had a super-fanatic leader who declared an overnight shift to renewables, by the time international aid arrived, our people would be starving.”
TATOLI
