MRA MD predicts strong copper and gold production for PNG up to 2050
If its two mining ‘mega projects’ – Wafi-Golpu and Frieda River – are delivered on schedule, Papua New Guinea will become one of the world’s major copper producers over the next thirty years, according to Jerry Garry, Managing Director of the country’s Mineral Resources Authority. However, he warns, PNG’s dependence on mining exports looks set to come to an end shortly thereafter.
Speaking at the 2022 Business Advantage Papua New Guinea Investment Conference earlier this month, the MRA’s Jerry Garry outlined the three priorities for the Authority, which oversees PNG’s mining sector.
These are the re-opening of the Porgera gold mine, closed since April 2020, and the permitting of the Wafi-Golpu and Frieda River ‘mega projects’.
Mineral Resources Enga’s signing this month of the shareholders’ agreement for the new-look Porgera joint venture paves the way for the reopening mine’s development forum – an essential step before production can recommence.
Jerry Garry told the conference that Porgera is now set to reopen in the last quarter of this year, or the first quarter of 2023, ‘if all goes well’…