Gold panning on the fringe of Bougainville's Panguna mine, decades after it was closed for large scale mining. Photo: Johnny Blades / RNZ Pacific
Bougainville Copper Ltd and its former parent company, Rio Tinto, have agreed plans to remove ageing infrastructure from the site of the long closed Panguna mine.
The BCL chairman, Sir Mel Togolo, and the Rio Tinto country director for Papua New Guinea, Andrew Cooper, signed a memorandum of understanding last Friday.
Both companies say they want to address concerns around future risks of ageing infrastructure in the former mine area.
They say this is in response to information obtained by the independent Legacy Impact Assessment, which has shows ageing structure poses a threat.
The aim is to end potential risks associated with deteriorating infrastructure and promote safety in the region.
This work will be carried out on old BCL assets, including the Jaba Pump Station and the Momau River Bridge, as well as the former mine area workshop, storage facilities and concrete wall in the Panguna town area. The works are expected to commence in November 2024 and will take several months to complete.
The Bougainville chief secretary Kearnneth Nanei says concerns about run down infrastructure had been escalated to the government after field work conducted as part of the Panguna Mine Legacy Impact Assessment.
"We are very pleased to be working with BCL with support from Rio Tinto in responding to the issues raised, in the best interest of our people.
"As we await the final results of the legacy impact assessment, these works represent a positive sign of cooperation by BCL and Rio Tinto," he said.
The results of Phase 1 of the Legacy Assessment are due to be made public in the fourth quarter of 2024.
