By Katharine Houreld
DAR ES SALAAM, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The final investmentdecision on a Tanzania's $30 billion onshore liquefied naturalgas (LNG) export terminal will not be made for at least fiveyears and possibly much longer, said Oystein Michelsen,Statoil's Tanzania country manager.
"We are prepared for the project to take a long time, but wecould bring it forward if the government is ready," he toldReuters on the sidelines of an investment conference inTanzania.
"We are not schedule-bound ... if the government delivers wewould need five years until an FID," he said, referring to afinal investment decision.
It would take another five years after the decision to buildthe plant, he said.
Tanzania's natural gas reserves are estimated at more than55 trillion cubic feet (tcf) and the central bank believesstarting work on the plant would add another 2 percentage pointsto annual economic growth of 7 percent.
The government is keen to promote the project but there hasbeen little public discussion of the timeline.
Outstanding issues included a stable framework with the hostgovernment, and clarity over local ownership requirements insome contracts, Oystein said.
In August, Tanzanian president John Magufuli orderedofficials to speed up long-delayed work on the plant, a projectinvolving BG Group -- recently acquired by Royal Dutch Shell -- and Statoil, Exxon Mobil and Ophir Energy, in partnership with the state-run Tanzania PetroleumDevelopment Corporation (TPDC).
A statement from Magufuli's office said he wanted theremaining issues sorted out so construction could beginimmediately.
Magufuli, a reformist who took office in November, hassacked several senior officials for graft or inefficiency. (Editing by David Evans)
