By PATRICK SAKAL
THE landowners of the Hides Gas plant have threatened government to shut down the gas condensing facility in Hela Province this year.
The people of Pina clan are the customary landowners of Hides Gas-To-Electricity (GTE) plant site that supplies electricity to Porgera Gold Mine in Enga province for three decades.
They want their land to be incorporated as a Lease for Mining Purpose (LMP) in 2021, before the electricity supply from the Hides GTE flows to power Porgera mine when it reopens.
They claimed a gas sales agreement from 1992 with Oil Search and Porgera Joint Venture expired and renewed in 2011 which they have not benefited from.
The same is also expiring and will be renewed in 2021, this year.
A frustrated Chairman for Pina Clan Integrated Land Group, Labe Kinali told media this week in Port Moresby that the government and developers lack of commitment to rectify the acquisition of this land, Karius Portion 167, the location of the Hides Gas Plant has now rendered the forfeiture of any, or all, assets and infrastructure sitting on their customary land.
“We advised Barrick Niugini Limited, the Operator of Porgera Mine to remove its caretakers at the plant site within the next 14 days. If the clan has looked after it for 30 years we will do likewise hereon.
“We are asking Barrick to respect us and we will respect you all. You have mistreated and cheated us for the last 30 years.
“As a clan we have submitted our position paper to the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) and State Negotiating Team (SNT) for Porgera Mine review but no outcome communicated back to us yet,” he said.
Landowner Chairman, Thomas Tandape said unless the Pina clan’s call for reclassification of their land to a mining purpose lease and their 30 years of missed benefits are sorted and paid outright the power plant at Hides will remain closed.
“We are willing to die for their cheating to obtain our land for the last 30 years and continued ignorance to do likewise in the next 20 years. That’s 50 years of raping our land with no tangible benefit to us,” Mr Tandepa said.
The clan is waiting on constructive dialogue from the Mineral Resources Authority, Kumul Holdings Limited and Oil Search Limited for the proposed tenement appraisal. The clan is also constantly following up on its missed benefits with Oil Search.
