I think the article was a bit dramatic “All things considered,...

I think the article was a bit dramatic
“All things considered, the state would like to pick up a portion of whatever Santos will make available in their rebalancing,” PNG’s Petroleum Minister Kerenga Kua told The Australian. “If the deal goes through, Santos will end up with 42.5 per cent equity, which is a big proportion of the project and may be onerous too. The Prime Minister is asking that the joint venture project partners should all agree for the state to be given the first right of refusal to acquire some portion of that equity.” - The Australian

I think they would want an additional percentage in the stake if Santos is to sell down, could range anywhere between 3 to 10 percent. In all honesty the fact that they are talking about wanting an additional percentage stake in the PNG LNG is a good sign for the merger.