Minister for Petroluem Dr Fabian Pok has given assurances that Oil and Gas sector in the country does not use the fracking technology for oil and gas.
Minister Pok said the Prime Minister has announced, there is an independent investigation into the tragic earthquakes hence, he urged people to put aside speculations following numerous aftershocks and to concentrate efforts on helping people recover and rebuild their lives.
“I welcome the investigations, and while we consult with experts, i want to make it clear that there is no fracking for oil and gas being done,” Minister Pok said.
Pok said, oil and gas in PNG is being extracted using conventional wells that are tapping into underground reservoirs which hold free-flowing gas.
“Fracking technology is used in other parts of the world because their gas is tightly trapped between rocks.”
He further confirmed that Licenses that the Oil and Gas Industry operates under in the country do not allow fracking.
“Deprtment of Petroleum as the regulator of the Industry monitors all oil and gas operations and I as the Minister can confidently say, there is no fracking used to extract oil and gas anywhere in the country,” Pok said
According to the Minister, there are a number of reputable geology and geophysics experts in PNG including the Department of Mining and GeoHarzards who can assist with more information and he urges that they be allowed to investigate further.
The comments by the Minister comes following ongoing speculations and misleading statements especially on social media on the cause of the recent Earthquake.
