Minister Pala Reaffirms Government’s Commitment To Re-Starting Porgera Mine
The National Government is committed to ensuring that the Porgera Mining Project commences operations before the end of this year.
Mining Minister Hon Sir Ano Pala, said this in response to Post Courier’s front page story on Monday 18 September 2023. The article ran with the headline “Empty Promises”, relating to the re-opening of the Porgera Mine.
He said the government was in fact almost ready to grant the Special Mining Lease (SML) on 16 September, signaling the re-start of the mine. However, he said in the weeks leading up to that date, the Mining Advisory Council (MAC) identified a few technical issues that the applicant New Porgera Limited (NPL), needed to address in their application. He said the issues were flagged with NPL, adding that the MAC had received a response from NPL.
The MAC will deliberate on the response from NPL immediately.
“We want the project to re-open as soon as possible. This is because of the expected boost to the country’s economy. However, as a responsible government, we must make sure that all regulatory requirements are met, and all laws of the land are complied with,” said the Minister. He said the government was not too far off, on its planned date to re-starting the mine.”
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