Secure electricity mine: LOs

GAS to electricity landowners of Hela are calling on the State and New Porgera stakeholders to secure the electricity mine as they progress towards the mine re-opening.
Landowner representative, Alfred Nelson Andapanga said yesterday the entire high voltage power lines and 214 power pylons from Nongoli Hides PDL 1 to Porgera was trespassing customary land which placed them at great risk since the Porgera SML 1 expired and all forms of payment for use of the land ceased.
Andapanga said following an April 2021 invitation by the Kumul Mineral Holdings Ltd to landowners to organise themselves into a proper corporate entity to deal with the gas to electricity business, landowning tribes along the power line corridor have formed the Trans Provincial Corporation Ltd (TPCL) as a holding company.
Further landowners have formed into four companies representing the various landowners along the power-line corridor calling themselves TPCL 1 — being the Hides land owning group, TPCL 2 & TPCL 3 — being the Hayapuga and Tagali local level governments and TPCL 3 being the Porgera-Paiela group.
Andapanga, who has taken this corporate structure and amplified it on the ground through awareness, is anxious that the landowners be included in early talks leading up to mine re-opening.
“Barrick, New Porgera, Kumul and State must come back to TPCL to formalise a sale and purchase agreement,” Andapanga said.
“They must not wait to the 11th hour. They must secure the mine by getting the gas to electricity landowners on side.
“We have done our ground work. Porgera mine is here to stay. We will give the guarantee of uninterrupted power supply by taking gas to electricity ownership.
“Barrick knows the cost of one felled pylon. It must insist with the other stakeholders that project security is secured. It is important.
“We are ready but we do not want last minute deals or new parties coming in at the last minute.
“Right now the gas to electricity infrastructure such as the power pylons and high voltage lines are trespassing customary land. They are at risk.” Under Clause 10 of the Framework Agreement, securing a contract for long term supply of gas from the Hides power plant is one of eight conditions to be fulfilled before mine re-opening.