Clan-vetting awaits funding

Business

CLAN-vetting in the pipeline and upstream areas will start once funding is made available, Department of Petroleum and Energy acting secretary Kepsey Puiye, picturd, says.
Clan-vetting needs to be completed before landowners can be paid their benefits.
“Clan-vetting for the pipeline and upstream areas will be done as soon as funding is made available,” Puiye said.
He said the State is discussing and planning the execution aspects of the work.
“The State team is now discussing the planning and executing aspects of the work.”
The plant-site landowners in Central received their royalties for 2014 last month.  Central Governor Robert Agarobe urged the people in the four PNG LNG-impacted villages to use the money wisely.
Agarobe said “it will really
not be a benefit if you don’t invest it well”.
The Mineral Resource Development Company made the payments to the 14 clans of Boera village.
The other three villages – Porebada, Papa and Lealea – will be paid their royalties from the liquefied natural gas project this week.
Rearea and Papa villages will receive K1,746,946 each.
Boera villagers get K1,352,027, and Porebada villagers get K1,154,755.
Others will get K250,000.
They are from the first shipment of LNG in June 2014.
“The benefits (from the LNG project) are starting to come in now. This marks an historical occasion for the impacted villages,” Agarobe said.
The four villages get 40 per cent while 30 per cent goes to their Community Investment Trust Fund and 30 per cent to the Future Generation Trust Fund as per the ministerial determination under the Gas Resource PNG LNG Plant Limited Company.