PNG governor says LNG investors required to vet landowners

10:52 am on 22 May 2018

The governor of Papua New Guinea's Gulf Province, Chris Haiveta, says the developers are to blame for landowners not getting their royalties from the ExxonMobil-led LNG project.

Exxon Mobil PNG's LNG plant near Port Moresby

Exxon Mobil PNG's LNG plant near Port Moresby Photo: (C)2014 {Richard Dellman/AdvantagePNG}, all rights reserved

The project has been in full operation for four years and many landowners in the project area, including in Gulf, are yet to receive any of the promised benefits.

Mr Haiveta said the developers were required to isolate just who the relevant landowners were before the scheme went into production.

And he said the developers were expected to undertake social mapping and identify the landowners for the government.

"Then the government will do its own vetting and then a development forum is then called.

"In this case those processes were not completed in the rush and the haste to get the project going they invited anyone and everybody to go and attend the various UBSA [Umbrella Benefit Sharing Agreement] and LBSA [ Licence Area Benefit Sharing Agreement] forums that were conducted."

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