Marat questions Tuke on geothermal policy

ATTEMPTS to bring in potential investors in the geothermal sector have been hampered because the country does not have a policy on it, says Rabaul MP Dr Allan Marat.
Dr Marat asked Mining Minister Johnson Tuke in Parliament on Tuesday when the Geothermal Resource Development Policy would be tabled.
He said Rabaul had enough geothermal resources to warrant the establishment of a geothermal power station to supply the whole of East New Britain (ENB).
“Unfortunately, our efforts to bring in foreign investments have been hindered by the fact that there is no geothermal resource development policy in PNG,” he said.
Dr Marat said the New Zealand government had funded the drafting of a geothermal resource development policy for Papua New Guinea a few years ago.
“I am reliably informed that this policy is already in a draft form,” he said.
“But I don’t know why it has not been tabled in Parliament.
Tuke said New Zealand funded the drafting of the policy in 2016.
“It is ready and will be tabled when Parliament sits in August,” he said