BOUGAINVILLE Copper Limited (BCL) needs access to the mine site to undertake a review of environment and safety needs.
It also needs to assess conditions of company assets and whether assumptions made in the order of magnitude study about site conditions were justified.
“We have not pushed the issue. We will not push the issue until invited, but we do need access to the mine site,” BCL’s chairman Peter Taylor said during yesterday’s 42nd annual general meeting in Port Moresby.
He said BCL also needed to engage with landowners and Government on future benefit sharing negotiations for the mine, which was deemed economically viable, also needing realistic tax and compensation regime.
“It is recognised on all sides that peace and good order are prerequisites to any return of company representatives or contractors to conduct safety and environment audits and rehabilitation programmes which will in themselves provide early economic and social benefits to landowners and the wider population,” he said.
“Issues of importance between the national and Bougainville governments include the drawdown of mining powers to Bougainville, the re-negotiation of the Bougainville Copper Agreement and the World Bank capacity building programme.
“The company suggests all these issues should be given impetus to provide Bougainville with the opportunity to benefit from a resumption of activity leading to full scale mining,” he said.
The mine re-open plan has been drawn from assumptions which Mr Taylor emphasised that the study was not a substitute for the detailed bankable feasibility study that would be needed to support redevelopment.
“It is not intended to undertake that additional and costly work until landowners and Government clearly support mine redevelopment that is profitable.”
It also needs to assess conditions of company assets and whether assumptions made in the order of magnitude study about site conditions were justified.
“We have not pushed the issue. We will not push the issue until invited, but we do need access to the mine site,” BCL’s chairman Peter Taylor said during yesterday’s 42nd annual general meeting in Port Moresby.
He said BCL also needed to engage with landowners and Government on future benefit sharing negotiations for the mine, which was deemed economically viable, also needing realistic tax and compensation regime.
“It is recognised on all sides that peace and good order are prerequisites to any return of company representatives or contractors to conduct safety and environment audits and rehabilitation programmes which will in themselves provide early economic and social benefits to landowners and the wider population,” he said.
“Issues of importance between the national and Bougainville governments include the drawdown of mining powers to Bougainville, the re-negotiation of the Bougainville Copper Agreement and the World Bank capacity building programme.
“The company suggests all these issues should be given impetus to provide Bougainville with the opportunity to benefit from a resumption of activity leading to full scale mining,” he said.
The mine re-open plan has been drawn from assumptions which Mr Taylor emphasised that the study was not a substitute for the detailed bankable feasibility study that would be needed to support redevelopment.
“It is not intended to undertake that additional and costly work until landowners and Government clearly support mine redevelopment that is profitable.”
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