Complaint to Equator Principles Limited regarding the Papua LNG project as relates to MUFG and any participating Equator Principles Financial Institution

The complaint argues that the Papua LNG project, a joint venture led by TotalEnergies, lacks necessary climate and human rights assessments, fails to obtain Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) from Indigenous Peoples, and threatens critical biodiversity. It specifically targets MUFG bank, claiming it may be misleading other financial institutions about the project's compliance with the Equator Principles.

• The project has not publicly disclosed a Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA), despite the 2024 Upstream EIS Addendum stating it was "currently undertaking" one.
• There is no evidence that the project has obtained Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) from affected Indigenous Peoples, with the complainants noting a lack of plain-language materials to ensure the "Informed" criteria is met.
• The project area of influence contains an extraordinary number of species unknown to external science, totaling 100 new-to-external science or undescribed species, which complicates the ability to mitigate ecological risks.
• The project's 2024 Upstream EIS Addendum removed the Bulmer’s Fruit Bat—one of the world’s 100 most endangered species—from its sensitive species list without providing supporting studies or evidence.
• The project has failed to meet basic transparency requirements under Equator Principle 10, as full Environmental Impact Statements are not available on the project website.
• There are significant concerns regarding the potential physical displacement of Pokore Hamlet, a community of 42 people living 700 metres from the proposed Central Processing Facility, for which no resettlement plan exists.
• The project has not adequately assessed cumulative impacts in Gulf Province, excluding other major fossil fuel projects such as the Pasca A offshore project and a proposed floating LNG facility.
• The project is described as being out of step with the International Energy Agency's (IEA) 2021 Net Zero Emissions scenario, which stated that no new oil and gas fields were necessary to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 °C.
• The project's approach to gender is criticized for failing to substantively mitigate risks, such as the potential for a "sexual economy" similar to that observed during the PNG LNG project in Hela province.

APA

Reclaim Finance (2025). Complaint to Equator Principles Limited regarding the Papua LNG project as relates to MUFG and any participating Equator Principles Financial Institution. https://reclaimfinance.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Dec2025_EPComplaint.pdf

Chicago

Reclaim Finance. Complaint to Equator Principles Limited regarding the Papua LNG project as relates to MUFG and any participating Equator Principles Financial Institution. 2025. https://reclaimfinance.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Dec2025_EPComplaint.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Reclaim Finance |title=Complaint to Equator Principles Limited regarding the Papua LNG project as relates to MUFG and any participating Equator Principles Financial Institution |date=December 2025 |url=https://reclaimfinance.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Dec2025_EPComplaint.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{reclaimfinance2025complaint, author = {{Reclaim Finance}}, title = {{Complaint to Equator Principles Limited regarding the Papua LNG project as relates to MUFG and any participating Equator Principles Financial Institution}}, publisher = {Reclaim Finance}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://reclaimfinance.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Dec2025_EPComplaint.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }