Act review ongoing: MRA

By DALE LUMA
THE revised Mining Act is still being deliberated on and will require the Government and stakeholders to agree on it, says Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) managing director Jerry Garry.
Garry said as it was now, the revised act was a major legislation that would affect the mining industry.
Prime Minister James Marape has said that any new mining projects that are permitted before 2025 will come under the current legislations and any new projects that are permitted after 2025 will be subjected to the new legislations.
“That should really provide stability but if you really look at what’s on the horizon, we really have Wafi-Golpu and Frieda,” Garry told The National.
“The other projects are small projects and if we are to get Mt Kare off the ground, it’s a small project.”
Commenting on the progress of some of these projects, Garry said the special mining lease for Frieda had been lodged but assessment had been halted because MRA had been focused on Wafi and Porgera.
“So that assessment has been deferred until we get these two other projects off the ground,” he said.
“For Mt Kare, the former tenement holder brought the State to court and the State won the case.
“So normal regulatory process has commenced but has been put on hold simply because of the general elections.
“After the elections, the applications that are before MRA will be assessed.”
Garry said MRA was waiting on the conclusion of the formation of the Government and would then start its regulatory activities which included two major tasks – Porgera and Wafi-Golpu.