PM says fabrication and training facility to build local capacity

The National Business

PRIME Minister James Marape says Papua New Guineans should build the next resource projects like the Papua LNG and P’nyang.
“We have 30,000 Papua New Guineans graduating Grade 12 every year. I cannot live to see 5,000 imported workers, blue collar workers coming on in the next four to five years for the construction phase.
“Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited (KPHL) must ramp up, especially construction for this site, but also the training facility aspect. Let us train the welders, plumbers, carpenters, mechanics, those who will work to help LNG construction as well as operating in the manufacturing plant.
“We hope this becomes a multi-purpose centre that assists our economy,” he added.
Speaking at the groundbreaking of the K300 million steel, mechanical and piping (SMP) module fabrication facility near the LNG plant on the shores of Caution Bay on Friday, Marape said work on the facility and construction training academy would start this year.
KPHL managing director Wapu Sonk said that in preparation for forthcoming LNG and mining developments in the country, “we are establishing heavy SMP module fabrication facilities capable of manufacturing many of the infrastructure components required by such large-scale projects.”
“We are initiating this industrial plant because it is important for us to demonstrate the real ability to maximise national content in major resource developments, through fabrication of core infrastructure components and training competent Papua New Guinean tradesmen,” he said. “KPHL will not be undertaking this huge industrial operation alone. To ensure a productive and assured operational ramp up of facility throughput, and to minimise costs, schedule and quality risk to major projects proponents, we have reached a preliminary agreement with Fabtech International.
“Fabtech is a world-recognised fabrication facility operator and it will take a lead role in running the facility, in addition to other potential strategic partners to finance and own the facility.”