Barrick Niugini welcomes passing of legislations

BARRICK Niugini Limited (BNL) has welcomed Parliament’s passing of necessary legislation to facilitate the reopening of the Porgera gold mine in Enga.
According to a BNL statement, the immediate priority was for the Mineral Resources Enga (MRE) to sign the shareholders’ agreement.
Some of the legislations passed include the new Porgera amendments to GST (Goods and Services Tax) Act, Income Tax Act, Mining Act, Motor Vehicle Insurance Act and Stamp Duty Tax.
“BNL welcomes Parliament’s passing of necessary legislation to facilitate the restart of the Porgera mine,” the miner said.
“The immediate priority is for Mineral Resources Enga (MRE) to sign the shareholders’ agreement, which Kumul and BNL have already signed.
“Once that is done, the new project company can be incorporated, a new SML (special mining lease) application filed, the Development Forum convened, and other regulatory steps completed so that Porgera can recommence operations as soon as possible and start delivering benefits to all stakeholders once again.”