Map out LNG project area, govt told

 A LANDOWNER association from Gulf has called on the Government to clearly map out the development of the second liquefied natural gas project. 

In a statement yesterday, the chairman of Meii village, Kris Metelm, said the Government, through the Department of Petroleum and Energy and the project owners Inter Oil and its major partners ExxonMobil, should come out clearly and map their partway to developing the much talked about second LNG project. 

“They have participated in the cash crop counting; the social mapping and conducted Land Investigation t covering historical sites report and high technology testing, which has caused damage to the land of the Meii Area,” Metelm said. 

“We are now very concerned that Etelop Oil and gas heads of the Gulf LNG might be connected and piped through the established pipeline to the Napanapa refinery and the proposed Meii Bluff site may be shelved,” he said. 

He said Gulf was a least developed province and the LNG project would spark drastic changes in the province. 

He said he would like to see the three Gulf MPs, Governor Havilla Kavo, Kerema Open MP Richard Medani and Kikori MP Mark Maipakai to raise the people’s concern in Parliament to have the LNG remain in Gulf.

He said rather than allowing ExxonMobil and Oil Search to have a monopoly of the LNG projects, it would be better to allow one or more international competitor into the market in PNG and bring in the best in partnership deal with InterOil to develop the Gulf LNG project.