Developer eyes sustainable mine

THE developer of the proposed Wafi-Golpu Mine in Morobe wants to develop a “sustainable mine” that will benefit all stakeholders involved.
This was made known by Dr Graham Hancock, the general manager (social performance) of Newcrest Mining, one of two development partners of the mine.
Hancock said the developer wanted a sustainable outcome for the mine that would benefit every stakeholder and not just a few people.
The US$5.4 billion (K17.8 billion) gold and copper mine, located 70km south-west of Lae, will be developed jointly by Newcrest (50 per cent) and Harmony Gold (50 per cent) through the Wafi-Golpu Joint Venture.
“How can we do it right so that we end up with a sustainable outcome?” Hancock said.
“One of the things that is important is that if we end up with a very small group of people with all the money, and everybody else feeling that they are being left out, that is not sustainable.
“Everybody must feel that they have a part to play and must benefit from this project.
“That is the outcome we want because we want it to be sustainable.
“We want the arrangements to last for the whole of the life of the mine. The benefits should be fairly distributed to all who are affected by the project. The benefits should reflect the level of development in the project area.”