PNG APPEAL COURT APPROVES MINE DUMPING INTO SEA
Attempts to block pollution unsuccessful after ‘lengthy legal battle’

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, Dec. 22, 2011) – A move to block the deep sea dumping of waste from the Ramu nickel mine on Papua New Guinea’s north coast has been rejected in an appeals court, ending a lengthy legal battle delaying the Chinese-backed project.

The one point five billion U.S. dollar project, funded by the Metallurgical Corporation of China, has been plagued by protests over its controversial plans to dump 100 million tons of waste into the Bismarck Sea.

[PIR editor’s note: The Chinese-owned Ramu mine was given legal permission to dump millions of tons of mining waste off the Madang coast in the north of PNG. Earlier in the year, landowners sought to ban the dumping, but a court refused their application because the dumping had already been approved by the government. Landowners appealed the decision, but were unsuccessful]

The Ramu project got court approval for the dumping, but local landowners appealed against this in September.

The managing director for minor shareholder, Highlands Pacific, John Gooding, says it’s now time to get on with the commissioning and operation of the project and for the benefits to start flowing through to all stakeholders.

The project is designed to yield more than 30 thousand tons of nickel and over 3,000 tons of cobalt each year for at least 20 years.

Radio New Zealand International: www.rnzi.com
Copyright © 2011 RNZI. All Rights Reserved