One of the components of the recent review of the Sinivit Gold Mine Memorandum of Agreement was Sinivit’s mine closure plan.
Currently, the mine does not have a plan in place but Mineral Resource Authority Project Coordinator Marika Tako said they had been advised by the developer, New Guinea Gold Limited, that a plan was now being put together.
He said while the review was still ongoing, the company must come up with a mine closure plan, which should be improved yearly.
“Every mine in PNG must have a plan. When you start a mining project, you must produce a Mine Closure Conceptual Plan and improve it every year until you come to the final one,” he said.
Mr Tako said it was different for the early mines such as Ok Tedi where a plan had to be prepared 10 years before the mine closes.
However, currently, mining companies have to have a plan when they start mining.
As for Sinivit, the review of the MOA has paved way for the development of the closure plan.
“It is a must,” Mr Tako said, adding that there were three components of the plan.
The components include the demolition of infrastructure, the rehabilitation of the mining site and the socio-eco aspect which Mr Tako said was a new concept which they adopted into the mine closure plan and will mainly look at assisting landowners to invest.
Mr Tako also said Sinivit’s Environmental Plan was still at its conceptual stage with no exact details in place. He said it was still a working document which will be improved from time to time.
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