Hides landowner companies want politicians out

LANDOWNER companies from the Hides fields in Southern Highlands do not want politicians handing out their business development grants, believed to be in the millions.
The companies are from the Hides fields included petroleum development licences 1 and 7 (south Hides) operated by ExxonMobil and PDL 1 which is the Hides gas-to-electricity project.
Wita Arua Holdings Ltd chairman Hare Hengi said Hides PDL 1 Development Corporation, Hides Gas Resources Ltd and his company had resolved to deal only with Commerce and Industry Minister Gabriel Kapris and his department.
He said they did not want “outside politics” to dictate how the grants were paid.
The three companies were representative of the LNG project facilities – from well head 1-4, Hides gas to electricity project and the Tugubua tribes.
The companies wanted their grants to be paid directly into their accounts and “not hand-delivered by some politicians from Hela”.
Hengi told The National yesterday that there had been too much involvement of politicians in the disbursement of the grants, causing inconveniences and delaying their participation in the LNG early work.