The COVID-19 crisis has profoundly shaken the global oil and gas industry. With the medium term picture for LNG prices likely to heavily impact PNG’s economy and government finances, Business Advantage PNG looks at the sector’s prospects.
Mining & Energy
Papua New Guinea is making changes to its approach to oil and gas projects, suggesting the country gets a worse share of revenues than other comparable nations. John Chambers, General Manager of Santos, considers some of the options used internationally.
In the midst of Papua New Guinea’s state of emergency, there was a change at the top of Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML). Business Advantage PNG asks Musje Werror, OTML’s newly appointed Managing Director and CEO, about his vision for the future of PNG’s largest mine.
Barrick Niugini, the majority owner and operator of the Porgera gold mine, has announced that it will be retrenching most of its workforce over the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea’s government seems intent of finding a new operator for the mine.
Mining companies in Papua New Guinea have been able to keep operating during the COVID-19 crisis. John Lewins, Chief Executive Officer and Director of K92 Mining, says his company actually ‘set records’.
Amendments to the Mining Act 1992 have been passed in parliament, with Mining Minister Johnson Tuke explaining it is a step towards ‘taking back’ Papua New Guinea. Meanwhile, industry representatives have expressed some deep concerns.
Prime Minister James Marape has introduced changes to Papua New Guinea’s oil and gas law, claiming it will benefit the country’s ‘national interest’. The changes may well represent a major shift in the way projects are developed in the future.
Papua New Guinea’s National Court has granted Barrick Niugini leave for a review of the decision not to extend the Special Mining Lease for the Porgera gold mine. Related disputes have also arisen, and the Prime Minister has flagged ‘minor amendments’ to PNG’s Mining Act.
Oil Search, Papua New Guinea’s biggest company, has been suspended from trading on PNGX, the country’s stock exchange, amidst claims that it did not follow proper procedure in its recent capital raising – claims the company is refuting.
Papua New Guinea’s government is coming under intense pressure to renegotiate the Special Mining Lease for the Porgera gold mine, which it refused to extend in April. Multiple industry bodies have urged the government to urgently negotiate with the mine’s joint venture operators, Barrick Gold and Zijin Mining, pointing to extreme economic stress.