Oil Search and its partners ExxonMobil and French giant Total are pushing to have their new plan for the expansion of LNG production in Papua New Guinea ready for October, when the new PNG government should be in place.

Oil Search said on Tuesday that Exxon, which operates the PNG LNG project and the P'nyang field, and Total, which operates the Elk-Antelop project, examined "various development concepts for the Elk-Antelope and P'nyang gas fields" during the June quarter, where OIl Search's production slipped slightly due to programmed maintenance that shut down its two production facilities for 17 days.