Dec 28 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp XOM.N announced on...

Dec 28 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp XOM.N announced on Wednesday a new natural gas discovery in Papua New Guinea.

ExxonMobil said it has a 42.5 percent stake in the project, while the rest of the interest is owned by Oil Search Ltd (OSH) and Santos Ltd (STO) , with Oil Search as the operator.

"We are excited by the results of the Muruk-1 exploration well, which confirms the presence of hydrocarbons in the same high-quality sandstone reservoirs as the Hides field that underpins the PNG LNG project," said Steve Greenlee, president of ExxonMobil Exploration Company.

The PNG LNG Project is a 6.9 million tonne per annum integrated LNG project operated by ExxonMobil PNG. The gas is sourced from seven fields, including the Hides, Angore and Juha gas fields.