Juffa pushes for law on geothermal energy

 LEGISLATION is needed to harness the huge potential of geothermal energy in Papua New Guinea, Parliament was told yesterday.

Northern Governor Gary Juffa said as geothermal was not a mineral it could not be catered for by the current Mining Act and needed new legislation to cater for all aspects of its development, including landowner benefits.

He claimed that landowners had not benefited under the current Mining Act because it only served the interests of the developers and foreigners.

Juffa said he did not want the same to happen to the development of geothermal energy projects.

He added that several companies had indicated their interest in geothermal energy projects and had applied for mining tenements when they were non mining specific companies.

He said the decision by the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) to grant licences to these companies was “highly dangerous” as it could deny landowners their constitutional rights as resource owners.

“I can qualify this statement saying that the Mining Act already denied the landowner and the state of any real benefits. 

“In my view, all the current resources development laws favour foreign investors,” he said. 

The governor urged MRA to initiate a new policy on geothermal energy deve­lopment that would serve the interests of the landowners.

He also called for a complete review of the current mining laws to serve the landowners.

Juffa said he would not allow geothermal energy developers into his province unless there was specific legislation to safeguard landowner interests and be­nefits.