Porgera Gold Mine may shut down if the illegal mining activities at the mine site continue.
Developer Barrick wants the government to take immediate steps in resolving this law and order issue.
The company is concerned that if this trend continues, there will be serious problems, including a shut down.
In response to concerns raised by Porgera Joint Venture (PJV) about the increase of illegal miners at the Porgera Mine site, the government is taking initial steps to address the issue.
A team from the government, including the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA), visited the mine to reassess the situation.
The visit proved that the situation has now escalated, affecting the daily mine operations.
The developer says due to this increase on record, an average of 396 illegal miners trespass the Special Mining lease every day.
The company is now losing 300 hours of production time due to the actions of illegal miners.
MRA, in consultation with affected stakeholders, will put together a submission to the National Executive Council with appropriate recommendations.
Mining Minister, Byron Chan, has called on the illegal miners to cease their activities as it poses a great risk for them and that of the mining operations.
The minister is expecting a set of recommendations from the state team for discussion with the Prime Minister before it is tabled.
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