Tangguh project may not disregard Papuans: Sonny

State Minister of Environment Sonny Keraf said in Jayapura on Tuesday that owners of the Tangguh liquid natural gas (LNG) project in Berau Bay, Fakfak, Irian Jaya, should not repeat the mistakes of gold and copper miner Freeport Indonesia and therefore they should take care of the local people and the environment.

Sonny said Tangguh LNG project must not deprive local people who are the ones who had the rights over the lands where the LNG project is located.

He called on BP Amoco, the majority owner of the Tangguh project, to directly involve local people in the project, so that they could improve their welfare and also help BP Amoco in maintaining the environment in the surrounding area.

"Although BP Amoco will prioritize world-class workers, I plead that BP Amoco should also recruit local people. They need to be guided and trained to be professional. And therefore, they could sit also in the top management level," Sonny said when attending the presentation of BP Amoco's Tangguh project.

BP Amoco manager Marjolin Mayong explained that the areas of the Tangguh project would cover Fakfak, Sorong and Manokwari districts. The gas field surrounding the Berau Bay is estimated to contain 18.3 trillion cubic feet of gas.

The Tangguh project, with two LNG trains, is expected to produce around 6 to 7 million tons of LGN per annum, when it starts production in year 2005. The project lifetime is estimated at 30 years.

This project will contribute foreign exchange revenues of up to $60 billion to the country. (*)