PRIME Minister James Marape has assured the people of PNG that the commitment to announce the Porgera restart on the 16th of September still remains.
The Prime Minister was responding to question asked in Parliament yesterday by the Member for North Fly, James Donald on whether the government will go ahead with its plan to re-open the Porgera Mine.
Marape earlier this year alluded that major announcement concerning the reopening of the mine will be made on September 16th, 2021.
With eight more days to go before the country celebrates its 46th Independence Day, it is unsure as to whether the announcement of the re-opening will be made.
Prime Minister in his response said the government’s intention remains that by the 16th of September, the affirmative progress in as far as Porgera restart is concerned will be announced to the country as part of the September 16th announcement.
“I am still committed to this date line; I have never been sleeping as far as Porgera is concern.
“Much work is running concurrently as we speak.
“Work for instance, to have the two companies, the Kumul Mining and the Barrick Niugini to jointly run the Porgera mine.
“There are four subsidiary agreement that needs to be run and agreed upon and we still working with our partners, and with Barrick.
“We have taken back more, 51% share of the New Porgera. Of that 51%, we only paying for 36% and we will not be spending some money upfront to pay.
“The deal was structured in a better form for our country.
“If the finer technicalities between Barrick and Kumul Mining are not totally settled by 16th of September, then both partners will agree to work it through.
“But the big focus still remains that the mine will be open going forward,” the Prime Minister said.
He also thank the people of Porgera, the Enga Provincial Government and all its landowners as well as the three Provinces which are at the footprint of the discharge area of the Pogera river system for their support in ensuring that the process that they have started are running.
He further said that so far on record they have received very minimal distractions and disruption from the landowners and the provincial government on the ground.