After a week of negotiations in Singapore for the P’nyang Gas Project, a party to the negotiations return disappointed.
Leaders of Western Province told EMTV, the State Team has not captured a single term submitted by North Fly District and Western Provincial Government.
North Fly MP James Donald says the project will be halted if the State Team is inconsiderate. “We will stop this project if the people’s input is not included, we do not want our people to suffer like the PNG LNG Project and other projects in the country”, said MP Donald.
This is the second negotiation for the P’nyang project.
The first was in November 2019. Western Governor Taboi Awi Yoto says the State has watered down their terms.
For Governor Yoto and MP Donald, their terms were purely to serve the interest of North Fly and Western Province. Governor Yoto says the State Team has let them down while developer Exxon Mobil agreed to work with them. “Exxon is willing to work with us and include our terms, the State Team is diluting what we offering on behalf and for the people of Western province”, said Governor Yoto.
Both leaders are now appealing to Prime Minister James Marape to intervene.
They say despite the Oil and Gas Act 1998 undergoing amendments, the needs of the people are different from the State.
by Jack Lapauve Jnr, EMTV News, Port Moresby
