Landowners keen to work with Duma

The National Business

THE PNG LNG project landowners from Hides PDL1 (petroleum development licence), PDL7, Angore PDL8 and Juha PDL9 have welcomed the appointment of William Duma as caretaker Minister for Petroleum and Energy.
Chairman of the Gigira Laitepo Palamanda Association Inc Tuguyawini Libe Parindali said the landowners were ready to work with Duma and address outstanding issues.
He said they had confidence in Duma to provide the leadership in the oil and gas industry.
Duma was responsible of putting together the multi-billion dollar PNG LNG project on behalf of the State.
Parindali said since the signing of the umbrella benefits-sharing agreement (UBSA) and licence based benefits-sharing agreements (LBBSA), all commitments made by the government were still outstanding.
This is despite export of more than 300 shipments of LNG cargoes to customers overseas.
Some of the issues are:

  • clan vetting is yet to be completed;
  • royalties and equities yet to be paid to the landowners in Juha, Angore, Hides PDL1 and PDL7;
  • development levy sharing between Southern Highlands and Hela provinces not in place;
  • development levies yet to be paid to project-affected provinces and their local level governments;
  • appointment of landowners to the Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd yet to be done;
  • appointment of landowner representatives to boards of gas subsidiary companies to be managed by the Mineral Resources Development Company Ltd yet to be done;
  • transfer of 4.27 per cent equity from Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd to the PNG LNG Project landowners yet to be done; and,
  • Opening up of Komo Airport to commercial traffic still outstanding.