Govt recognises landowner group

THE Government has recognised the formation of a landowner group in Hela to deal with issues relating to the Angore wellheads and the PNG LNG project.
Petroleum and Energy Minister Nixon Duban in a statement congratulated the Angore Wellhead Leadership Committee which will provide leadership in Petroleum Development Licence 8 (PDL8) in the implementation of the Umbrella Benefits Sharing Agreement and the Licence-Based Benefits Sharing Agreement. Duban thanked chairman Hari John Akipe for setting up a committee to deal with all issues in the Angore PDL8, which had been lacking since 2010.
“Not only will this set a precedent to other project areas of similar circumstances but also serve as a model,” he said.
Akipe is the chairman of the clans of the three wellheads at the Angore PDL8 who had been identified by the Alternate Dispute Resolution process led by Justice Ambeng Kandakasi. Duban said he recognised the Angore Wellhead Leadership Committee “to provide the leadership required at the Angore PDL8 in the interim, consistent with the objectives, roles and responsibilities, which the landowner’s leadership structure takes the required shape and form”.
He said the ministry and department would now deal directly with the AWLC to address issues in relation to Angore PDL8 and with State Equity Management Companies.