Industry to see changes

By GYNNIE KERO
THE Government has some new initiatives for the mineral industry as it meets to discuss and review Kainantu gold mine’s memorandum of agreement (MoA) in East New Britain this week, according to Mineral Resources Authority (MRA).
MRA managing director Jerry Garry said the State had plans to change the way it did business.
One of which he highlighted yesterday was to establish a growth centre for rural communities to rely on for sustainability after a mine ceased operations.
“A new initiative is try to build a growth centre of some nature for community to rely upon beyond a mine’s closure rather than the current efforts which are very much isolated,” Garry said.
“That is like building one clinic here and another school over there.
“We cannot establish development projects or infrastructures apart from each other.”
“But that’s what we (state) are thinking and will throw it on the table as we discuss in Kokopo this week,” he said.
Garry also said the Government wanted miners to take full responsibility of its social obligations.
“The Government has been putting so much money in maintaining social licences, we want companies to take on board.
“The idea has been passed to our development partners.
“We want them to take full responsibility other than state using the tax credit scheme in building infrastructure. We want to change the way we do business,” he said.
Garry further noted that this would be the first time the MoA of the Kainantu mine in Eastern Highlands would be reviewed.
Normally, project MoA’s were reviewed every four years.
Garry also said the mine’s operator, K92 Mining, would also participate in this review.
The K92 Mining owns and operates the Kainantu gold mine – a high-grade, low cost underground mine in Eastern Highlands.
Chief executive John Lewins said the mine had performed well in the first quarter of this year.
“We are very pleased with Kainantu’s significant ramp-up momentum for the stage 2 expansion in Q1 (quarter one), including first production from long hole stopping areas,” Lewins said.