Key points
- The PNG Registrar of Mining confirmed the Solwara 1 mining lease application meets Section 101 requirements of the Mining Act.
- The warden’s hearing is scheduled for Thursday, April 2, 2009, in Kavieng, New Ireland province, PNG.
- The mining lease application, MLA154, covers an area of 59.1 square kilometres for a period of 25 years.
- CEO Stephen Rogers said the hearing is another step forward for the Solwara 1 project as the company works with government departments and stakeholders.
Nautilus Minerals Inc. has received notification from the Papua New Guinea Registrar of Mining of the warden’s hearing date for the Solwara 1 mining lease (ML). The notification states that the ML application meets the requirements of Section 101 of the Mining Act, and has set the warden’s hearing date for Thursday, April 2, 2009, in Kavieng, New Ireland province, Papua New Guinea (PNG).
The mining warden’s hearing is required under the PNG Mining Act as part of the approval process for the grant of an ML. Nautilus’s Solwara 1 ML application, MLA154, covers an area of 59.1 square kilometres and a period of 25 years. The warden’s hearing is part of the formal consultation process for an ML, and allows interested stakeholders the opportunity to voice their opinions about the project. Similar public hearings have already been held for the company’s environmental impact statement, which supports the ML application.
Stephen Rogers, Nautilus’s chief executive officer, commented: “The calling of the mining warden’s hearing is another step forward for the Solwara 1 project. The company is working closely with the relevant government departments and key stakeholders to ensure that the approval process continues to progress smoothly.”
