Gulf set on downstream processing

National

By MALUM NALU
THE resources of Gulf have for too long being taken out instead of being processed in the province, Gulf Governor Chris Haiveta says.
He said this on Wednesday when explaining the no-pipeline policy to representatives of Oil Search, Kumul Petroleum Holdings, Mineral Resources Development Company, Department of Petroleum and Energy, and the gas projects coordination office during a meeting in Kerema.
“The province has a policy which the previous government (of former Governor Havila Kavo) put down of no pipeline,” Haiveta said.
“Gulf’s no-pipeline policy is because we want to develop a petro-chemical and oil and gas industry from the resources that we have.
“We’ve been exporting our fisheries. We have been taking timber out of Gulf without processing. And we’ve also been funnelling oil and gas out via Port Moresby. Nothing has stayed in this province.”
Haiveta said the meeting was a “milestone” for the province.
“We invited operators and stakeholders to come here to meet and talk about oil and gas issues in the province,” he said.
“This is a very important meeting. The purpose is to hear from Oil Search, which has been in Gulf since 1929, then operating as Australian Petroleum Company.
“Oil Search is still here with us and has grown into a firm that has taken over the oil fields from Chevron and manages assets in our province, including a pipeline and terminal.
“They are also stakeholders in the PNG LNG Project, managing assets in Gobe, which is in the territorial jurisdiction of our province.
“We are here is to listen to them on what plans they have.”