The government recently signed an environmental impact statement approval with regards to the K18 billion Wafi-Golpu project.
This came after an agreement with the Morobe government to start moving forward.
Prime Minister James Marape said the signing would grant the Special Mining Lease (SML) and negotiations for a mining development contract among the developer, state, and stakeholders.
“We are moving this project and heeding the call of Morobe Governor Ginson Saonu and the people on the possibility of a tailings storage facility,” he said. “It is time for us to sit with every party and open dialogue again.”
Marape said both governments would think of options which were economically viable and the best mine waste disposal measures. The Marape government will also have a 50-50 arrangement to sponsor feasibility studies on the issues from the Morobe government - which involves the bulk sampling of mine waste tailings.
To figure out the presence of copper and gold minerals, mine waste testing will also be enacted.
“The testing would be to see if there are any opportunity to make a business out of them and determine the type of terrestrial waste facility that is suitable,” he said. “Gold bullion discussions will grow bigger and the provincial government has put a proposal for a business opportunity in that space.”
