Carnarvon Petroleum Limited

11/18/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/18/2021 00:33

Introducing Angelo Lay -Timor Leste Country Manager

With the Buffalo-10 well drilling campaign about to start, activity in Carnarvon's Timor Leste office is ramping up - and so is recruitment.

Housed in the Timor Plaza building in the Dili District of Comoro, Timor Leste Country Manager Angelo Lay has spent a fast-paced six months preparing for the campaign and is ready for things to get busier.

The Timorese local, who lives in nearby Culuhun with his wife and two children, said his 14 years working in the Timor Government's Autoridade Nacional do Petróleo e Minerais (National Petroleum and Minerals Authority) had been an ideal training ground for transitioning and preparing the Buffalo project.

"I started with the Carnarvon team in September 2019 after the production sharing contract (PSC) took effect with Timor-Leste," he said.

"My previous experience working for the ANPM and an onshore exploration company has given me good understanding of regulatory environments and compliance requirements in maritime operations.

"Although I don't have a huge amount of technical knowledge, my strength lies in understanding exploration strategy from exploration, operations right through to decommissioning."

Since joining Carnarvon, Mr Lay's day-to-day responsibilities have been weighted towards liaising with Company headquarters in Perth and advising on regulatory compliance, contractual obligations, taxation and on-ground government relations.

But his role is set to ramp up to include recruiting locally and stepping up as a Company ambassador in Timor Leste.

"At this stage of drilling there is a lot of activity to attend to. Once drilling starts, I'll be supervising accounting, overseeing expenditure and looking towards the future.," he said.

"When the project becomes operational we need to hire a local content officer, the team here will be growing.

"As a Company we also want to show that drilling brings an opportunity for employment to the Timorese."

Mr Lay said plans to visit Carnarvon's headquarters in Perth were thwarted by COVID-19 but he's looking forward to a trip when borders re-open.

"Carnarvon has a great working environment, very professional and all the staff have a strong work ethic," he said.

"Hopefully I can get there soon to meet my colleagues and review our drilling program's success."