Porgera gold mine. Photo: Richard Farbelini at English Wikipedia / Public domain
A forum in Wabag in Papua New Guinea's Enga Province is aiming to pave the way for the earliest possible re-opening of the Porgera mine.
The Prime Minister James Marape said there must not be any more delays in reopening the mine.
It follows a ruling by the Supreme Court on Monday which tossed out an attempt to halt the proceedings of the New Porgera Development Forum, which is set to address all significant concerns among stakeholders.
That was scheduled to take place in Wabag on Tuesday but is going ahead from Wednesday and expected to last for more than two weeks.
"Under my administration, the government is committed to ensuring a more favourable arrangement in the New Porgera, building upon the insights gained from the past three decades," Marape said.
The prime minister has called on all stakeholders to engage in the development forum proceedings.
He met with leaders in Hela Province to ensure the electricity supply for the mine is not disrupted.
Two years ago the Hela stakeholders submitted a list of 16 demands concerning the supply of gas for electricity generation for Porgera.
Marape said he had reassured the Hela leaders that the landowners of the area where power pylons are erected between Hides and the New Porgera Mine would not be excluded from the benefits.
"The Hela Provincial Government has raised valid concerns regarding the lack of substantial review concerning landowner matters in relation to power generation," Marape said.
In April the PNG Government reached agreement with Barrick Gold and its partner Zijin, to re-open the mine, which has been shut down for three years after Port Moresby refused to roll over the lease agreement.
The New Porgera mine is to have majority ownership held by the PNG Government but first other stakeholders need to be convinced to allow this to happen.
