A crucial community development meeting between the Porgera local Government and landowners has concluded after two days of discussions.
Held in Mount Hagen, the meeting brought together 25 special mining lease (SML) landowner agents with ward councillors of the Porgera rural local level Government to discuss development of the area.
On the docket was the state’s response to proposed in position papers from stakeholders submitted to the state last year in Alotau and Wabag.
The position papers are designed to capture landowner, Provincial Government and other stakeholders’ community benefits and development aspirations given the recent reopening of the Porgera mine.
The state has already responded to position papers from Porgera mine part-owner, the Enga Provincial Government.
Mineral resources authority Porgera project coordinator Joe Kak said the purpose of the meeting was to prepare the landowners for the incoming broader community development agreement (CDA) forum.
In the meeting, the state provided responses to proposals relating to benefits including equity, royalties, business development grant and special support grant, amongst others.
The Porgera landowners association chair Mark Tony Ekepa said he was happy with the outcome of the meeting, and that his association was looking forward to the CDA negotiations.
Porgera district administrator Jerry Maku said he was glad the government had invited the Porgera Government to be a party to CDA negotiations, as it was not done in the past 30 years of the life of Porgera mine.
Representatives of the state-owned Kumul Minerals attended as observers.
The Porgera project is jointly owned by the PNG Government and Barrick Gold. The 51 per cent portion held by PNG comprises 36 per cent held by Kumul Minerals, 10 per cent held by SML landowners, and five per cent held by the Enga Provincial Government.
Subscribe to PNG Mining and receive the latest news on product announcements, industry developments, commodities and more.
