Australian miner Newcrest Mining Limited has delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Mining & Energy
With the ExxonMobil-led PNG LNG project ‘more than 90% complete’ and due to start exports in the second half of 2014, what are the chances of additional LNG projects for PNG? Business Advantage PNG considers the candidates.
ASX-listed gold producer, St Barbara Ltd, which owns the Simberi mine in Papua New Guinea’s New Ireland, has posted a full-year net loss of AUD$192 million (K409 million), due primarily to a lower gold price.
Melbourne-based mining company, Newcrest Mining Ltd, which has extensive mining assets in Papua New Guinea, has ended the financial year with a net loss of AUD$5.778 billion (K 12.29 billion) for 2012–13.
Prime Minister O’Neill’s promise to leave the management of Ok Tedi Mining Ltd in place when his government takes over the mine is ‘very reassuring’, according to the company’s managing director, Nigel Parker.
The international energy services company, Wood Group PSN, has won a contract with Esso Highlands to provide construction and maintenance to services to the Hides gas plant in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands and the new PNG LNG plant near Port Moresby.
The ratings agency Moody’s has cut Newcrest Mining Ltd’s credit rating, declaring its outlook as negative, after the gold miner announced a AUD$6 billion (K12.6 billion) in asset writedowns in June.
Oil Search has reported that while it has discovered only ‘modest’ quantities of natural gas during a new exploration campaign in the Gulf of Papua, it will continue drilling in the area.
Harmony Gold has become the latest gold miner to write-down its Papua New Guinea assets, as a sharp drops in bullion prices force mining companies globally to reassess the profitability of their mines.
Bougainville leaders are considering lifting the moratorium on mineral exploration which has been in place since the 1970s, in case the Panguna gold and copper mine does not re-open.