Govt blamed for LNG delay at Sydney meet

National, Normal
Source:

The National – Thursday, December 9, 2010

By PATRICK TALU in Sydney
HIDES Gas Development Company managing director Erick Hawai told investors and the Australian business community in Sydney that the PNG government is responsible for the interruptions and delay on the liquefied natural gas project.
He said before and during the project signing, the government had made many commitments in the various memorandums of agreement to sweet-talk the resource owners into signing deals, yet it had failed to honour these commitments.
Hawai said Hides Gas Development, being a recognised landowner company, was put under unnecessary pressure regarding contracts, which were part of the MoA, and seed capital which the government had promised in March to settle.
“These undue commitments should stop immediately.
“For any other new project agreements, the government should not make any commitment,” Hawai told the mining and petroleum conference.
He said he wanted to turn all the challenges into business opportunities for the benefit and prosperity of the Hides people and their company.