2009 Papua New Guinea Mining and Petroleum Seminars

The Papua New Guinea Chamber of Mines and Petroleum will be hosting a Petroleum Seminar on the 27th –28th October followed by a Mining Seminar on the 29th – 30th October at the Crowne Plaza, Port Moresby.

As well as providing a comprehensive technical update on current activities in the mining and petroleum industry, these seminars will offer an excellent opportunity to meet all the players in the PNG resources industry, including Government, and for joint venture discussions, networking, and promotion.

The Petroleum Seminar will feature the current activities in the petroleum sector including PNG’s first LNG development, major new gas discoveries at Elk/Antelope in the Gulf Province and Douglas/Puk Puk in the Western Province, and other exploration.

The Mining Seminar will showcase the PNG mining industry highlighting project updates, new developments, advanced prospects, and exploration. PNG’s four new mines – Ramu nickel/cobalt project and Hidden Valley, Simberi and Sinivit gold mines - will be featured as well as the offshore deep sea exploration for seafloor massive sulphide deposits.

The seminars will be complimented by a Trade Fair with 16 companies exhibiting their services, products or exploration/production activities to the delegates.

The Chamber sees the seminars as an important service to members and to the general public.

It is essential that information on the activities of the mining and petroleum sectors is freely available to all.

For this reason, the Chamber endeavours to keep the registration fees for the events to a minimum.

The Chamber is expecting over 800 delegates to attend the seminars.

Along with industry and Government any member of the public is welcomed to attend.

For further information please contact the Chamber on telephone (675) 321 2988 or email conf@pngchamberminpet.com.pg

 

Will you feel guilty when the 'CARBON COPS' call?

by Paul Oates

Recent news report of the Australian Federal Police now being tasked withpolicing Climate Change Regulations. However, with all the debate about
carbon sinks, carbon sequestering and climate change, it seems almost impossible to get a 'helicopter view' of what is actually happening.

Firstly, we are told the Earth is going through a warming phase. This has happened a number of times in the past without disastrous results (e.g.
around 1,000 AD) so why is it so important this time? Well, it seems likely that the use of fossil fuels (coal and oil) have over the so called
'Industrial Age', helped accentuate this warming. Some may argue as to how much, if at all, our burning fossil fuels has contributed however, when you compare these man made emissions against those caused by natural causes such as volcanic eruptions and bush fires.

So how will this global warming affect us? Can we really do anything about it?

Prior to the current level of political consternation, the use of coal and from last century, oil, seemed to be the only way world societies could
progress and develop. The problem was that those with the resources and power kept the benefits to themselves and those without the power to use
their resources were severely limited in their prospects.

As the global village developed over the last 20 to 30 years, there are some recognisable changes emerging. There is a power struggle going on between Europe, North America and East Asia. China and India (the world's most populous nations), are emerging as industrial giants and challenging the status quo.

During the last 30 years, the world population has doubled and is set to double again. If everyone in the world today enjoyed the same standard of
living as the so called developed nations, we would need the resources of two and a half world's to meet that demand. Clearly that can't happen. So
what's the answer? Is it just a battle between the haves and the have nots? Traditionally, these battles have allowed those with resources to believe
they will always come out on top.

Now we should all know where this horrible deluge of carbon is coming from. Hundreds of millions of years ago, the Earth was much warmer and had an atmosphere many times richer in Carbon Dioxide (CO2). Why? Well it has been suggested that the natural atmosphere of our solar system's planets is made up predominantly of CO2 and Methane as is the atmosphere of Venus today. So what changed our world? During the 'Carboniferous period', the huge forests grew in the warm climate and used the CO2 to grow. This growth in plant life then released a huge amount of free oxygen (O2 then estimated to be over 20% of the Earth's atmosphere), and this allowed an explosion of animal life that depended on this oxygen for life. As the carbon based plant life died and was eventually covered by rocks, the resultant coal and oil lay untouched for millions of years until humans discovered and used these resources during the last thousand years.

Now here comes the conundrum. Why won't this balance between CO2 and O2 happen again? What's the difference between the Earth regulating itself previously and any increase in CO2 naturally increasing the world's plant life? Surely an increase in plant life will eventually decrease the CO2 and release the O2 back into the atmosphere (i.e. a natural carbon sink)? Surely the only difference in today's equation is people? When the natural 'carbon sink' previously happened, there were no people around to be affected. If the predictions are correct, the Earth may warm by an average of 4 degrees by the year 2100. BUT, by that year, unless something different occurs, the Earth will be so over populated that there will not be the resources to feed and house all these extra people. Earth's human bio mass is currently only second to krill in overall total size. In less than 30 years, it will double again. This is far, far sooner than any cataclysmic disaster that may be caused by climate change.

If the world's oceans do rise by some meters as the ice caps melt, the areas on the Earth that will be most affected are those that are heavily populated
now (e.g. Bangladesh). Where will these people go to find safety, food and shelter? No government seems prepared to 'bite this bullet'.

So while the world's leaders wring their collective hands and lament abouthow they can wean their people off their CO2 producing culture, the only
answer seems to be by legislating to make energy (coal, oil and electricity) more and more expensive in real terms. Agriculture is being told that they will have to pay for the amount of CO2 it produces. This will also cause an increase in the cost of food and yet more overheads on already stretched famers to try and keep pace with an increased population.

So what timely alternatives are being put in place to make a real difference? Like the recent inability to stop swine flu, nothing seems possible to stop the world's population from increasing exponentially. What will then stop these extra billions from chopping down any surviving trees to live? History is full of examples where this has happened. A classic example is the original population on Easter Island. The people there eventually
used up all the available resources and their society 'imploded'. The strong defeated the weak but eventually they too died off as there were no
resources left on the island.

So when it all becomes too hard and too complicated, a diversion is needed to get governments past the next election. Recent examples could be the Year 2000 bug, The war on terror, Oil prices, and now, bring on the concern about climate change....... Two thousand years ago, it was bread and circus's.

Commencement of early works by Papua New Guinea Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) Project

Oil Search is pleased to report that the PNG LNG Project participants have agreed to a proposal by the Project Operator, ExxonMobil, to commence Early Works activities on the PNG LNG Project.  Early Works include a range of infrastructure projects, such as the upgrade and repair of roads, construction of camps, wharf upgrades, early site preparation in the PNG Highlands, construction of training facilities and ordering of long lead items.

The development of this infrastructure will facilitate full construction to commence in early 2010, following the Final Investment Decision which is targeted to take place in late 2009.

This positive Early Works decision follows the recent signing of the Umbrella Benefits Sharing Agreement (Umbrella BSA) and substantial progress made on LNG marketing.

 The Umbrella BSA defines how benefits, including those provided for under the Oil and Gas Act, will be shared between the PNG Government, Provincial Governments, Project Area Landowners and Local Level Governments.

The negotiation of the Umbrella BSA was a major exercise in democracy. 

Held in Kokopo, East New Britain over a five week period, it involved over 1,000 representatives selected by the communities to represent them in the discussions.  The Umbrella BSA sets the framework for a series of individual licence-based agreements, to establish the final benefits distribution. 

As previously advised, significant progress has also been made on marketing the Project’s LNG and a further announcement on this is expected to be made soon.

Peter Botten, Oil Search's Managing Director, said: "The decision to proceed with Early Works, comprising an accelerated investment of approximately US$600 million over the next 12 months (US$200 million net to Oil Search), prior to the formal sanction of the Project at the end of this year, is a major vote of confidence in the PNG LNG Project.

“It demonstrates an increased level of commitment to the Project by the participants, as milestones are progressively met.  

As announced by ExxonMobil recently, a number of contracts for early works activities have already been awarded, including a major construction contract for Upstream Early Civil Infrastructure to Clough Curtain JV, a joint venture between Clough Niugini Ltd and Curtain Brothers PNG Ltd."

Computer trouble!

For a laugh…

I was having trouble with my computer.

So I called Richard, the 11 year old next door whose bedroom looks like Mission Control, and asked him to come over.

Richard clicked a couple of buttons and solved the problem.

As he was walking away, I called after him, 'So, what was wrong?

He replied, 'It was an ID ten T error.'

I didn't want to appear stupid, but nonetheless inquired, 'An, ID Ten T error? What's that? In case I need to fix it again.'

Richard grinned. 'Haven't you ever heard of an ID ten T error before?''

‘No,' I replied.

'Write it down,' he said, 'and I think you'll figure it out.'

So I wrote down: I D 1 0 T

I used to like the little shit.

 

 

3,000 march against Papua New Guinea corruption

By Ilya Gridneff of AAP

June 14, 2009 - 12:29PM

 

More than 3,000 Papua New Guineans have turned out to march against corruption, calling on their countrymen to quit using traditional custom as an excuse for lawlessness and graft.

Corporate teams, non-government organisations, public institutions, school children and citizens came together at today’s rally in the capital Port Moresby under the banner "Enough is Enough!"

The third and biggest march organised by Transparency International (TI) against PNG's rampant corruption also drew a few politicians, but none from the government.

TI last year ranked PNG as the most-corrupt country in the Pacific and put it in lowly 151st place out of 180 countries in a global survey.

TI chairman Peter Aitsi said corruption of all kinds and every level of magnitude needed to be rooted out in PNG.

"We work in a shifting environment in terms of our culture," he told AAP.

"It's evolving and mixing with western cultures as well, which potentially causes instances where people can use custom as an excuse for corruption, so this is what we're confronting as well.

"Custom is there and can be appreciated, but we live under a law now and our constitutional law is what we all must abide by," he said.

PNG's closely tied kinship network, known as the wantok system, is seen as both a social safety net and destabiliser as it relies on perpetual welfare and favours.

"In 2007, (the march) was mainly corporate teams and individuals," Aitsi said.

"In 2009, we've had 30 (government) departments come along, and last year we had the department of finance audit team come along.

"The message has started to be heard.

"It's the beginning - we have the members of the opposition there and so what we want to do is build a bridge.

"It's in the government's interest in supporting a community initiative that is bringing positive change to the country," he said.

The march was led by PNG's Governor-General Paulias Matane. Only three politicians attended, all from the opposition.

Last month, Prime Minister Michael Somare admitted community resentment over widespread corruption in PNG's police force and labour and immigration departments was one factor behind a spate of anti-Chinese attacks.

Sleeping beauties!

Attached are pictures of my four young children fast asleep last Friday night.
Left to right are Jr (8), Moasing (4), Gedi (7) and Keith (2).

National Geographic best pictures for the year!