Mt Iwa: Another of PNG’s treasures

I remember a Thursday of December, 2015, I was at the ridge of Kutubu’s most sacred mountain.
I have heard of Mount Iwa and Iagifu Ridge Camp which is owned and operated by Oil Search PNG Limited but I have never climbed this gigantic mountain before. It was my first time.
It was perhaps outrighteous for me because I have heard enriching local legends of Mount Iwa and how it’s connected with the sacred beliefs of a living monster called ‘Iagifu’.
Kutubu’s traditional legends are profoundly rich, symbolic and spiritual just like any others in PNG.
As I stood there shivering in the freezing temperature, I imagined how long ago, Kutubu’s forefathers were able to know, through their traditional legends, that there was a monster of floating oil reserve, in the earth’s crust under Mount Iwa.
The sacred beliefs about Iagifu is a rich narrative which is untold of since the Kutubu men were able to confirm without any scientific knowledge, that there was a monster of crude oil structure under Mount Iwa.
Science is the secret to hidden treasures in the earth’s crust but a traditional sacred belief is a powerful customary narrative beyond scientific explanation.
The precise location where I stood is where the Kutubu oil project all started because the Iagifu well pad is located there and oil and gas are first produced from this well pad for the oil project.
A main pipeline is connected to this well and goes all the way down to the Kutubu Central Processing Facility (CPF). Multiple wells, also called spine line located along the corridor, are also connected to this main pipeline.
The fascinating views presented from all directions from the pipeline route in Mount Iwa were breathtaking and mind absorbing.
The tip of Southern Highland’s own Mount Giluwe and Mount Castle were visible to the northeast while Mount Bosavi slept silently in the west plus Kutubu’s own belts of mountain ranges including the location of Moran well pad displayed a lush patchwork of magical beauty that resonate human fascination.
Driving around, I saw a stretch of blue patch below the lush mountain rainforest of the towering Mount Iwa, it was the Lake Kutubu, it was smaller than I have earlier known, which perhaps resonated a greatest sinkhole in human fascination.
However, interestingly it envisages Kutubu which is home to the Kutubu oil project since 1992 and now hosts associated gas reserves in the PNG LNG project which is set to stimulate the upstream exploration and opening new opportunities in PNG’s gas industry.
I was impressed with the design and engineering aspect of the oil and recently the LNG project. The operations of the wells, pipelines, and the conditioning facilities produce zero to very minimum noise and have no major impact on the surrounding environment.
It is a tremendous engineering milestone achieved by previously Chevron Niugini and recently Oil Search and ExxonMobil which PNG should be proud of because it’s a world record.
The project’s entire system, from the well pads to the processing facilities and to the main high pressured transmission gas pipeline to the Kumul marine terminal in the Gulf of Papua and Caution Bay outside Port Moresby is operated by some of the high calibre PNG nationals.
Both the Kutubu oil project and the PNG LNG project have produced some of the oil and gas experts and they are proudly PNG nationals.
This can be confirmed by the employment statistics of Oil Search and ExxonMobil which is perhaps a big bonus for PNG.
Mount Iwa is absolutely rich, symbolic and spiritual as known through generations and I have no reservations that it will throw magical blessings to anyone who personally comes to know it.

Mike Haro, Via email