PNG Post-Courier, on 21st June reports that an experienced Papua New Guinean geologist, in a study carried out by a geotechnical engineering company, stated the proposed offshore submarine LNG pipeline to Port Moresby is a "poorly thought out" proposition, has a potentially unstable geological condition and should be abandoned.
The report has been filed in the National Court as part of its affidavit challenging the State and Esso PNG by the provincial government.
The geologist, Sigl Samson Dorugl through his company, Geosite Management Limited, stated that the geological evidence provided by the developer indicated strongly that the proposed pipeline would cross an area of cross faulting between the translational fault that traverses from beyond the Gulf of Carpentaria, north of Australia to Lae in PNG. There is convincing seismic evidence suggesting that this fault is still active. be laid across the Gulf Province sea has a potentially unstable geological condition and should be abandoned.
The offshore submarine LNG pipeline proposal is a hangover of the aborted PNG – Qld gas pipeline proposal, the report stated.
The proponents of the Kikori Port Moresby submarine LNG pipeline route grossly underestimate the potential geological risks along the defined route, claims Dorugl.
"This misinformation has been widely circulated to all stakeholders and the public. We are of the opinion that this oversight is unwarranted and is a recipe for disaster for a project with projected life span of 30 years," the report says and went on further to criticize the whole project saying.
"It does not make any sense to bring any petroleum product out from a few underdeveloped provinces like Southern Highlands, Western and Gulf, especially by by-passing Gulf and Western provinces and concentrate development in Port Moresby. All socio economic commentators have grossly overlooked this point.”
"All socio-economic benefit studies to date seem to have seriously over looked tangible physical development on a province by province basis. The benefit sharing monetary terms that have been agreed, like the Kokopo Benefit Sharing Agreement, do not address the issue of infrastructure development distribution therefore is so defective a proposition and represents an egocentric Waigani Government and a few short-sighted political activists hiding behind the cloak of ‘landowners’.
"For the cost of survey and construction of the pipeline; Construct a project town or alternatively Kerema or Daru towns can be expanded to project town status."
This report and another one by a Papua New Guinean environmental scientist that reviewed the Environment Impact Study (EIS) report conducted by Coffee Natural System (CNS) will form the basis of their legal battle for the State and the developer to compensate its people, said Gulf Governor Havila Kavo who will be making an appointment to see the Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, Minister for Environment Benny Allen and Minister for Petroleum and Energy William Duma to discuss the contents of the report.