By ANDREW ALPHONSE
THE National Government and Oil Search Ltd have been reminded to fast-track economic discussions concerning the North West Moran oil projects in the Southern Highlands province.
Komo Margarima MP and shadow minister (Opposition) for Petroleum and Energy Francis Potape made this call yesterday following agitation from landowners to hold talks regarding the oil projects.
The Moran oil project is located in Mr Potape’s electorate.
He said he was in the electorate last week and was “inundated” with calls from his people especially the landowners for discussions to be held the soonest.
Mr Potape claimed that while oil from North West Moran (petroleum development licence 6) began flowing last year, there had been no talks to take up economic issues linked to the resource and no land boundaries established to pinpoint legitimate landowners.
He said this may even be against the Oil and Gas act 1998 and called on OSL and the National Government through the Department of Petroleum and Energy (DPE) to immediately organise a dialogue with landowners.
Mr Potape said the project had the potential to contribute largely to the proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) project and that the legitimate landowners be identified for the calculation of royalties and equities.
He warned DPE and OSL against entertaining self-proclaimed landowners from Moran but based in Port Moresby.
Mr Potape said there were two landowner factions from the Moran area - one from SW Moran (PDL 6) and the other from Moran (PDL5).
He called on DPE to seek views from as many landowners as possible instead of dealing with only one party.
Attempts to get comments from DPE acting director general Moran coordination branch Alphonse Lagap were unsuccessful while Ruth Waram from OSL said her company would not comment until it received a full statement from Mr Potape.