The Stanley Gas Project in the North Fly District of Western Province has been dubbed as a catalyst for other major oil and gas developments to come.
It is the first gas project in the province and North Fly District. The total cost for the project to be developed by Horizon Oil Limited is K800 million and will benefit not only the landowners but all impacted area landowners.
As a prerequisite to issuing a PDL by the Department of Petroleum and Energy, a forum has to be staged to negotiate landowner benefits.
Hence the Minister responsible, Nixon Duban, was in Kiunga to officially launch the start of discussions.
The peaceful mining port of Kiunga welcomed the Ministerial delegation that comprised of Western Province Governor Ati Wobiro, Minister for Petroleum and Energy Nixon Duban, and North Fly MP and Minister for Arts, Culture and Tourism, Boka Kondra, among others.
They were treated to traditional dancers from the Arwin tribe, along with the traditional landowners of Kiunga town.
From the airport, the Ministerial delegation headed to Kiunga Main Sports Oval to start formalities. Judging by the turnout of the crowd, it was clear that this project would benefit all stakeholders.
However, that is subject to the weeklong Benefit Sharing Agreement Forum to be staged at Kiunga Technical Vocational Centre. As the Minister responsible, Mr Duban officially launched the Stanley Gas Project Forum in the presence of developers Horizon Oil Limited and landowners.
Mr. Duban said that from the experiences of the PNG LNG Project, the Stanley Gas Project was revised several times to ensure that the people, as well as the state, benefited well.
Both Western Governor Ati Wobiro and North Fly MP Boka Kondra, told the people and concerned parties that negotiations of the Benefit Sharing Agreement must be guarded by a win-win solution for a better package for the all concerned landowners.
Western Provincial Government also committed K1million for the Local Content Plan to ensure increased participation and capacity building for landowner companies to be engaged in the Stanley Gas Project.
Despite its small-scale size as compared to the PNG LNG project, the Stanley Gas Project will impact landowners from the well-head, pipeline, buffer zones, storage facility and dockyards.
Discussions on the Benefit Sharing Agreement between the State and landowners will continue in the coming weeks.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=evqqpl0PYP4%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
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