Haiveta: No pipeline out of Gulf

By SHIRLEY MAULUDU
GULF Governor Chris Haiveta is standing by the province’s policy of “no pipeline out of the province” as regards the Papua LNG project.
Haiveta said while he understood that it would cost less to use the existing pipeline for the PNG LNG project, he wanted the benefits from the second LNG project to be retained in the province.
“Gulf’s major policy stand on the second LNG is no pipeline (out of the province),” he said.
“That policy has not changed. We have arrived at a decision that was blessed by the (provincial) assembly.
“Bringing in gas to Caution Bay for export is an easier and cheaper way. But in the long term, it does not serve the people of Gulf and the people of this country.”
He is expecting to receive more information from the operator Total SA today.
Haiveta said he believed that such projects should be considered with the priorities of the province.
“We must not take a project by project approach.
“For instance, for the Papua LNG project, we must work out what are we going to get out of it within the context of all the resource potential we have as well as the projects that are coming online,” he said.
“This is not the first oil and gas project that we have undertaken. We’ve had projects since early 1990s There are benefits owing to us from the PNG LNG.
I’d rather we fix that first.
“The second LNG project is the first which is wholly in the province.
“Now, if we cannot learn to get the benefits that are due to us from the first LNG project, then we have not learnt our lesson.
“We cannot talk about another LNG project if we have not fully benefited.”