Ok Tedi Mining Limited

A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT INTO PNG’S 100 PERCENT OWNED MINING COMPANY

Ok TEDI MINING

THE

HEART OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA We take an in-depth look into the Ok Tedi mine, its operations within Papua New Guinea and speak with executives to delve deeper into the organisation Writer: Sean Galea-Pace | Project Manager: Josh Mann

We’re a company with a soul.”

That’s the view of Musje Werror, Managing Director and CEO of Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML).

It’s fair to say that OTML is a mining firm proud of its culture. The company prides itself on being a 100 percent 2 | APAC Outlook issue 49

Papua New Guinea (PNG) owned organisation and operating with a large national workforce. In fact, according to Werror, the staff are committed to make OTML become a successful company since the profits generated stays within the country.

“When we became a 100 percent

PNG-owned company, there were doubts that we could operate as a strong and vibrant business and so far we have done that,” he explains. “I believe Ok Tedi in many ways is a role model for this country.”

Today, Werror sits at the helm of the mine’s operations. However, his

MINING

journey to the top of the organisation is an interesting one. Werror has worked his way up through the ranks since joining the company’s Graduate Development Programme in 1988.

“I always had an interest in mining and accepted the offer to join Ok Tedi after completing my degree,”

he recounts. “I started off in the production laboratory before moving into the health and safety department where I became the first trained occupational hygienist in PNG.” Subsequently, Werror then became Superintendent of Health and Safety before he moved into the operations

area. By his own admission, there isn’t an area within Ok Tedi that he hasn’t worked in or doesn’t know about. “My time in health and safety allowed me to have access to all the operating areas on site. It helped me to develop a greater understanding of how the business worked,” he explains.

APAC Outlook issue 49 | 3

If you want a project completed safely, on time and within budget, Assess Orr will deliver.

Our highly qualified team are capable of coordinating all activities, including the supply of a team of skilled technicians, all trades, multi-skilled riggers/ scaffolders and operators, equipment, tooling and flexible logistics, taking the worry away from our clients and allowing them to focus on what they do best.

Preservation in PNG of P&E is of genuine concern. Assess Orr is your onestop-shop including the design, fabrication of storage lifting and transport frames along with humidity-controlled preservation wrapping to assist weather proofing of essential P&E. Assess Orr makes it a priority to understand what is important to our clients, delivering a range of solutions to suit individual client needs: • Scaffold access solutions.

• Heavy lifting cranage services.

• Construction and commissioning of infrastructure required for mining, power, water and the oil & gas industries across the world.

• Flange management & torque verification services.

• Hydrostatic & pneumatic leak testing services.

• Production of all required documentation including FTR’s, ITP’s and MDR’s.

• Mentoring, training and upskilling of national labour workforces.

• Provide preventative maintenance and QA services.

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Ok TEDI MINING

OK TEDI’S STRATEGIC PROJECTS 1. CONSTRUCTION OF AN ENGINEERED STABLE WASTE DUMP This project will allow mine extension from 2026 – 2029. The dump will have a capacity to hold 300 million tonnes of waste material. The project feasibility study is scheduled to be completed in May 2021.

2. MINE PIT DEPRESSURISATION AND DEBRIS REMOVAL High rainfall of up to 11 metres per annum poses significant geotechnical issues in the mine pit where depressurisation of the pit walls from both the surface and underground is critical to safely continue mining. Ok Tedi has high-grade ore in the bottom of the centre pit and has commenced the removal of some 20 million tonnes of accumulated debris material to gain access to this ore by 2024.

Musje Werror, Managing Director and CEO of Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) Werror graduated with a Chemistry degree from the University of Papua New Guinea, the country’s premier state institution. Having worked in the mining space for over 30 years, Werror has had a front-row seat to how the industry has changed, particularly in PNG. “The industry has had its fair share of challenges over time,” he admits. “Addressing environmental and social impacts are always high on the agenda as expectations continue to develop and change.”

And that experience certainly equipped Werror with the tools he needed when an opportunity to lead the company came along in June 2020. Upon his appointment, he acknowledged that while Ok Tedi is a small operation relative to the global industry, his company plays an influential role in PNG’s economy. “We are small in size but big in heart and we have a lot more to contribute to the development of our country.”

CRUSHER REPLACEMENT PROJECT Ok Tedi operates a large-scale copper and gold mining and processing facility in the Western Province of 6 | APAC Outlook issue 49

3. MINE WASTE MANAGEMENT SITE The extension of mine life to 2029 will require additional space for the storage of dredged material and pyrite concentrate at the mine waste management site located in the lower Ok Tedi region.

4. PROCESS PLANT UPGRADE Having been in operation for 36 years, the plant had experienced a number of failures and is due for a major birthday. Ok Tedi plans to invest over $100 million to refurbish and upgrade the process plant, which will enable operations to continue beyond 2029.

About Us

Services

Established in 2007, Assess Orr is a family owned and operated business specialising in construction, commissioning and maintenance services within the oil and gas, power generation, water and mining sectors.

We are NATA accredited to carry out hydrostatic/ pneumatic testing. Add in our ability to carry out torque verification, flange management we are a onestop shop that provides peace of mind to our clients throughout the entire construction and commissioning processes, with effortless transitioning into the maintenance phase.

Assess Orr understands the importance of commencing operations with limited downtime. We offer our clients end to end commissioning services from pre-commissioning right through to start-up and performance testing.

Directed by Mark Orr, Assess Orr started as a scaffolding/ rigging/ heavy lift business and over the years, through dedication and hard work, we have expanded our services backed with ISO and NATA accreditation, to be able to meet clients changing needs. All of Assess Orr’s personnel work to the highest standards, and in accordance with industry codes and safety regulations so you can be sure we will complete any job with the necessary skills and resources at maximum proficiency.

• Construction and commissioning of infrastructure required for mining, power, water and the Oil & Gas industries across the world.

With clients that include Shell, QGC, Ok Tedi Mining Limited, Origin Energy, BHP BIO, Chevron, Downer, CPB Contractors, Thiess and SNC Lavalin, we have safely delivered on some of the largest and most technically challenging projects within Australia.

Capacity Assess Orr has a proven capacity to deliver on some of the largest and most technically challenging projects, on time, and within budget.

Assess Orr has been involved in the construction and commissioning of Power Stations, including works with Coal Seam Gas infrastructure, Water Treatment Plants, Mining infrastructure and recently with Subsea Spooling for major LNG Infrastructure. We pride ourselves on our ability to exceed our client’s expectations.

Mark Orr

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M +07 407 885 712

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Assess Orr makes it a priority to understand what is important to our clients, delivering a range of solutions to suit individual client needs: • Scaffold access solutions.

• Heavy lifting cranage services.

• Flange management services.

• Torque verification services.

• Leak testing services.

• Production of all required documentation including FTR’s, ITP’s and MDR’s.

• Mentoring, Training and Upskilling of National Labor workforces.

• Provide preventative maintenance and QA services and systems including the design fabrication of storage lifting and transport frames along with humidity-controlled preservation wrapping to assist weather proofing of essential P&E. Assess Orr provides our clients peace of mind through the management of the entire construction and commissioning process, incorporating strategic planning, documentation management, and coordination of all commissioning activities.

Delivering on our commitment to provide high-quality services, Assess Orr has a robust ISO & NATA accredited Integrated management system (IMS) with a structured workflow process, management and coordination of all commissioning activities.

E mark@assessorr.com.au

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United. Inspired.

Pit Viper 271 and SmartROC D65 Enhanced with the latest Epiroc automation technology the Pit Viper 271 and SmartROC D65 are both tough, reliable and productive drill rigs designed to get the job done safely with accuracy and precision.

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Ok TEDI MINING

Papua New Guinea. Ore mined from the open pit mine at an annual rate of 24 million tonnes feeds a processing facility which consists of a gyratory primary crusher, two parallel grinding modules, flotation and gravity separation and sulphur removal.

“In 2016, a major strategic review of the business was conducted to optimise the main Fubilan pit and maximise the value of the business while maintaining our environmental obligations to the Government and communities. The review identified the Crusher Replacement Project (CRP) as a major value adding proposition,” explains Werror.

“The project was completed and commissioned in December 2020.

It had cost PGK800 million and was completed on time and on budget without a lost time injury. The completion of the project will allow access to high grade ore material below where the old crusher was located by 2023.”

10 | APAC Outlook issue 49

“WE HAVE A SMALL STRATEGIC PLANNING TEAM WHO HAVE DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB TO IDENTIFY THESE HIGH VALUE PROJECTS FOR THE BUSINESS... WE HAVE ALL BUT EXHAUSTED THE VALUE IN THE CURRENT PIT AND WILL FOCUS OUR ATTENTION ON EXPLORATION TO EXTEND MINE LIFE BEYOND 2029” The scale of the project was significant given the challenges of procuring and freighting the equipment and materials into a remote location and establishing a team made up of 98 percent contractors and consultants to execute the project. At the time of installation, the gyratory crusher was regarded as one of the largest machines of its type to be manufactured globally. Over 13,000 cubic metres of concrete and more than 2,500 tonnes of fabricated steel was required to construct the new facility. “The site itself required

substantial pioneering earthworks to be undertaken before construction could begin,” says Werror. “It is indeed a credit to the CRP team for safely executing the project on time and within budget.”

For Werror, he believes in the value of having long-term strategic goals.

“We have a small strategic planning team who have done an outstanding job to identify these high value projects for the business,” he says.

“We have all but exhausted the value in the current pit and will focus our attention on exploration to extend mine life beyond 2029. Hopefully, we

A Robust Partnership with Ok Tedi

E

piroc is a leading manufacture of surface and underground mining equipment, manufactured in Sweden, the United States, Japan and China. Its products are small and large drilling rigs, water well and coal seam gas drills, production drills for quarry and development industries, while also specialising in underground mining equipment, jumbo production and development drills. Epiroc’s products are sold worldwide to the large and small mining and mineral extraction industries.

David Green is the Product Manager of PNG and Pacific Regions at Epiroc. He believes that his company is well-placed to meet today’s challenges within the mining industry. “It’s very exciting because the mining industry is moving very fast because of the extraction of raw minerals to meet the global demand,” says Green. “Australia is a very fortunate country in the world to have such vast resources available with proximity to our trading partners.

We’re very well positioned to meet these demands and challenges with technology playing a larger part of the mining process.”

Epiroc has established a key, strategic partnership with Ok Tedi. The mining firm approached Epiroc to quote for the supply of diesel-powered blast hole drills to avoid production losses because of droughts that occur in the vast country. Epiroc was successful in receiving purchase orders for three pit viper drills in 2005 which grew to seven drills, three of which have been made redundant because of sterling service over many years. As well as Pit Viper Drills, Ok Tedi made a further purchase of three D-65 hammer drill as part of the mining process.

Green is well aware of the key benefits of the partnership with Ok Tedi. “Our strong relationship with Ok Tedi is driven through its commitment to the

customer, while Ok Tedi has invested into Epiroc for Mining Equipment, which is its commitment to invest back into the company.

“Relationships are a vital and key part of building a life of mine relationship and I have had the privilege to meet many special miners with lasting friendships.

Loyalty and honesty are both important needs in attending to its customers’ demands in operating such a massive mine in a remote location.”

Wade Prebble is the Customer Support Manager at Epiroc. When looking to establish a key, strategic partnership, he looks for openness and collaboration.

“Continuous communication is very important in this industry, especially when we’re talking about high usage and priority fleets,” says Prebble. “When the relationship is strong and open, we can expect that the most productive and positive outcomes are achieved which ensures the best possible experience for all involved.”

Prebble reflects on the company’s collaboration with Ok Tedi and looks back fondly. “I think that our partnership with Ok Tedi as an ongoing project is something that I am very proud of,” he says. “It’s no secret that the environment up there is really tough and it is extremely satisfying to be able to be a part of a team that is committed to making sure that we all do our very best to maintain strong forward momentum.”

Looking ahead to the future, Prebble is optimistic about the next few years. “Continuing our commitment to supporting our customers within the region to ensure that their experience is the best possible and that their expectations are always exceeded,” he explains. “Autonomous technology has begun its rise in focus within the East Coast of Australia and Papua New Guinea so watch this space as it’s going to move fast!”

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Resource Sector Aviation Solutions.

Pacific Helicopters Limited Airport Road P.O Box 342, Goroka Eastern Highlands Province Papua New Guinea

Pacific Helicopters PNG is the leading helicopter service provider for oil, gas, mining, construction and telecommunications companies in the Asia Pacific region. With its headquarters based in Goroka, and an aviation facility in Port Moresby, Pacific Helicopters PNG prioritises safety and professionalism to the highest of international and OGP standards.

T (675) 5321833 www.pacifichelicopters.aero

The scope of capabilities, projects and expeditions that we are able to support are extensive and include, but are not limited to: • • • • • • •

Heliportable Seismic support services Geological Exploration Construction Projects IFR/VFR Off-Shore Petroleum Exploration Aerial Survey and Photography Power line Construction General Helicopter Charter Services

Resource Sector Aviation Solutions.

Pacific Direct and predecessors have been very proud strategic partners to Ok Tedi Mining since 1991 providing fixed wing aviation solutions enabling transport of mine employees, contractors and cargo to and from the mine township of Tabubil, Western Province, Papua New Guinea.

Our fleet of Dash8 – 100 aircraft have flown the expanse of the PNG nation, into eastern Indonesia and regularly to Cairns, Australia. A variety of flights have been operated including passenger only, cargo only, passengers and cargo as well as medical evacuations.

Pacific Direct provides flexibility and a proactive approach to our customer’s needs whilst ensuring that safety remains paramount.

We congratulate Mr Musje Werror and his dedicated team for the very successful operation of the Ok Tedi Mine and look forward to providing them with aviation solutions into the future.

Pacific Direct Ltd PO Box 1379 Goroka Eastern Highland Province Papua New Guinea

Ok TEDI MINING

Weir Minerals Weir Minerals is a global leader in the provision of mill circuit technology and services. We engineer and manufacture world-class equipment for the mining market, around the world.

Weir Minerals is the market leader in slurry-handling equipment and associated aftermarket support for abrasive high-wear applications.

Together with Weir ESCO®, we are the only global provider of premium mining solutions from extraction to concentration.

Leading mission-critical technology We work closely with our customers to understand their needs and provide end-to-end solutions. Our broad range of equipment delivers high wear resistance and lower total cost of ownership, backed by Weir’s leading materials science technology.

will identify another ore body but time is running out so it will have to happen soon.”

To most organisations across the world, the importance of establishing key strategic relationships is essential to long-term success. Werror acknowledges how much of an influential role key suppliers play and affirms that his company places considerable emphasis on how important they are, particularly as a result of its location in PNG. “We are located in a very remote area,” explains Werror. “Most of our consumables and supplies are imported from overseas and this requires the company to maintain close working relationships with our partners and suppliers.” He added that it can take up to four months for supplies to arrive on site so forward planning to ensure the right equipment or part is critical.

14 | APAC Outlook issue 49

Werror points to Ok Tedi’s relationship with Hastings Deering as a particularly important example.

“With our mining fleet, we use Caterpillar equipment,” he says.

“Hastings Deering are our PNG agent for Caterpillar, and we require parts to be available at any time to maintain our fleet. We have other suppliers that supply critical parts for our mills and processing plant. Partners are critical to us to ensure the mine continues to operate successfully and the relationship we have with partners like Hastings Deering are essential to meet our production targets.”

When seeking to establish a mutually beneficial collaboration, Werror has a clear idea of the characteristics he looks for in a partner. These include having values that are aligned with OTML’s values, reliability and have a proven track record.

Our specialists partner with the metallurgy and maintenance teams at Ok Tedi on solutions to increase efficiency and provide fit-for-purpose solutions with the lowest possible cost of ownership. The latest example is installation of Warman® MCU® 450 mill circuit pumps, complete with Accumin™ automatic lubricators and Linatex®-lined suction and discharge spools. As evidence of our commitment to support our product, we worked with Ok Tedi to meet strict COVID-19 and quarantine requirements to safely provide OEM representation on site for the installation. Weir Minerals also created a custom training video for the Ok Tedi team.

Reliable service network With 23 service centres and offices located throughout the Asia Pacific region, we are well placed to support your needs, wherever you may be.

Throughout 2020, our teams proved they were able to adapt to changing conditions as they successfully utilised our risk management framework to continue supporting our clients.

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Tailings and Fluid Management TerraFlowing™ tailings management, Warman® centrifugal slurry pumps, Multiflo ® dewatering pumps and barges, GEHO™ positive displacement pumps, Isodry™ filter presses, Delta Industrial™ and Isogate™ knife gate valves, Accumin™ lubricators, Cavex ® hydrocyclones, Linatex ® hoses and spools

From material extraction to tailings, our extensive product range covers everything you need for a complete, end-to-end solution.

Backed by leading material science technology, our equipment delivers proven high wear resistance. Digitally enabled, our solutions lower total cost of ownership, transform productivity, foresee risk and enhance performance.

Whether a mission-critical part or an entire circuit, our engineered solutions come with unrivalled support from our extensive global service network.

Get it all and more. Visit www.apac.weir or email apac.minerals@mail.weir Copyright © 2020, 2021, Weir Minerals Australia Limited. All rights reserved. The trademarks mentioned in this document are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of companies forming part of The Weir Group PLC. 202101/AU1131

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Ok TEDI MINING

Asset Excellence Optimisation Asset Excellence Optimisation provides Asset Management consultancy services to Mining, Processing, Transport, Oil & Gas, Logistics, Bulk material handling and Heavy industries primarily focusing on Maintenance management and Investment & Value management.

The company & its practice leaders provide multidisciplinary services:

“IN AUGUST 2020, WE HAD A POSITIVE CASE AND THE NUMBERS ESCALATED CONSIDERABLY WITHIN A SPACE OF TWO WEEKS... WE SUSPENDED OPERATIONS FOR SIX WEEKS AND IT WAS A CHALLENGING PERIOD FOR US SINCE WE DIDN’T KNOW HOW THE VIRUS WOULD IMPACT OUR EMPLOYEES” In March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the world and caused operations in all sectors to grind to a halt almost overnight, Ok Tedi activated its major incident management plans and introduced a series of measures and alert levels prior to its first positive case.

“In August 2020, we had a positive case and the numbers escalated considerably within a space of two weeks,” says Werror. “We suspended operations for six weeks and it was a challenging period for us since we didn’t know how the virus would impact our employees, contractors, business partners, communities and the business. Fortunately, we had no deaths and only a few people experienced mild to moderate symptoms. We established workplace and residential bubbles, imposed control measures and commenced 16 | APAC Outlook issue 49

a general awareness programme to curb the spread of the virus which we successfully achieved.”

“Despite these efforts, we had a second wave of the COVID-19 virus within the operation in March this year resulting in the company having to suspend operations for two weeks.

A major review of our COVID-19 management processes and control measures were undertaken allowing the safe resumption of operations in early April. To support the country’s efforts to combat the surge in COVID19 cases, the company has made a PGK20 million contribution.”

Talent management is a key part of Ok Tedi’s strategy. The company has around 1,800 permanent employees, with a similar number of embedded contractors and service contractors.

Indeed, Werror is keen to stress that the organisation believes in its staff

• Maintenance management, Work Management and Maintenance System audits • Budget and Cost management • Master data management including BOM development • Reliability engineering and Defect elimination • Value stream mapping and Criticality analysis • EAM integration to ERP • Project management & Operational readiness services • Equipment Life cycle costing • Asset management audit to ISO 55000 standards • Management operating system (MOS) & Organisational framework • Capital project directional studies

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∂iff∫ntegra Systems Our Digital Platform Initiative We provide customised Maintenance Management systems through our Software Division; DiffIntegra Systems.

DiffIntegra Systems provides a platform to integrate different modules of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems or/ and integrates different Management Systems to seamlessly and efficiently manage Maintenance Execution.

Our flexible Maintenance Management Modules/ Products provide the option of selecting Digital solutions to your specific requirements.

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Alpha Omega Composites Our Advanced Engineering Initiative Alpha Omega Composites is our advanced engineering subsidiary providing high-tech Engineering solutions.

At Alpha Omega we are working towards replacing steel alloys with light weight composite materials.

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Asset Excellence Optimisation Providing Asset Management consultancy services to Mining, Processing, Transport, Oil & Gas, Logistics, Bulk material handling and Heavy industries, helping our clients gain the maximum value from their asset through efficient, effective and enhanced Maintenance management and Investment & Value management.

Our Way – CAdEx

Our Global Experience

• Consult – Support client in identifying opportunities to optimise the value of their assets by applying specialised and specific area of expertise of our practice leaders.

• Advise – Form a long-term partnership with the client to lay the foundations for initiatives to continually optimise asset performance and manage business risks.

• Execute – Execute initiatives, provide coaching and hands-on support to the client using our expertise or manage third-party expertise to optimise client’s asset performance.

Integrating Maintenance Management DIFFERENT systems to manage maintenance?

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T: +61 431 026 177 | T: +61 7 3191 8517 | E: admin@assetexcellence.net A: P.O. Box 44 Chermside South, 4032, (Brisbane) Queensland, Australia www.assetexcellence.net | www.diffintegra.com | www.aocomposites.com The Name and Symbols of DiffIntegra Systems and All its products are Trade mark of Asset Excellence Optimisation Pty Ltd, ABN 19 620 461 412

Ok TEDI MINING

Brand Hero Industry-veteran Brand Hero is a multifaceted branding agency supporting a range of businesses, from startups to corporations, through the creation and establishment of brands and their visual assets.

Building Confidence Through Impactful Branding Passionate about the power of displaying a quality brand, the company is incredibly proud of their collaboration with Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) in bringing their online and offline presence up-to-date and refining OTML as the international industry leader it is.

The main goals of the project were centred around building confidence in the OTML brand in order to attract quality investors, staff and other stakeholders to engage with the company.

Promote Company Culture and Values

and wants to equip them with the skills and tools to succeed, not just in Papua New Guinea but also overseas if they are given the opportunity to work abroad.

“One of my ambitions is to rewrite Ok Tedi’s history and create a positive perception of the company to the world. We can achieve this by working towards leaving behind a positive legacy which includes our workforce becoming successful when they leave OTML,” explains Werror. “It’s about developing our people with skillsets that create opportunities for them anywhere in the world.”

Ok Tedi seeks to be renowned as the leading PNG mining firm in all aspects of business as part of its Vision 2025. However, Werror acknowledges it’s a short-term goal.

“Usually visions are for much longer durations. In Ok Tedi’s case, it is about providing a balance between commercial and technical aspects and people and social outcomes,” 18 | APAC Outlook issue 49

he explains. “By 2023, all manager positions will be nationalised. We’re not moving all expatriates out; we want them to play a mentoring role and allow the nationals to take the lead. This goal aligns with our philosophy of being a 100 percent PNG owned company.”

THE HISTORY OF Ok TEDI Ok Tedi originally goes back to 1963 when copper mineralisation was first found near the current mine site when a government patrol made contact with the Min people of Star Mountain.

In 1968, the Fubilan Copper-Gold deposit was discovered, and the Kennecott Copper Corporation began exploratory drilling.

Following the withdrawal of Kennecott in 1975, BHP secured a mining lease of the area and as part of an international consortium, began mining feasibility studies culminating in a detailed report to the PNG Government in 1979.

In addition to this, Brand Hero collaborated with OTML on the creation and promotion of the company’s core values. Through the use of visually appealing signage, print collateral and graphic design, the OTML team were empowered to live and work under the company’s ethos, particularly around the areas of safety, accountability and teamwork.

By keeping the design and production with one partner, OTML were able to create a level of consistency that enhanced the professionalism of their brand. This created a seamless branding experience across their website, signage and print media.

Incorporating elements from Papua New Guinea’s cultural heritage into many facets of the project, Brand Hero has helped foster a stronger connection between the company and the local community, building a sense of pride in both OTML and PNG within the workforce.

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LOGO DESIGN

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Ok TEDI MINING

Consort For over 40 years, Consort has been a leading provider of shipping in Papua New Guinea. We own and operate an extensive fleet of marine vessels servicing the 17 main ports across the country. Our marine and logistics services include domestic liner services, international and domestics vessel charters and special cargo logistics.

Our vessels and equipment are available to charter to a diverse range of businesses from domestic manufacturers and wholesalers to transport and construction companies and international energy and mining companies.

Consort continues to support Papua New Guinea’s growth by investing in the latest vessels, marine technology and striving to achieve the highest standards of certification and maintenance.

Ok TEDI’S VALUES SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT The company cares about its employees, business partners and its communities’ well-being.

INTEGRITY Ok Tedi expects honesty, trust, fairness and respect.

ACCOUNTABILITY Ok Tedi personnel owns their jobs and meets their commitments.

PERFORMANCE The company gives its best every day and strives to continuously improve every day.

TEAMWORK Its goals are common, and the company’s successes are shared.

SUSTAINABILITY Ok Tedi uses what it needs and conserves what it can.

20 | APAC Outlook issue 49

Ok Tedi began as an entity to operate the project in 1981 and was formed from a partnership between BHP, the PNG Government, Amoco Corporation and Inmet Mining Corporation.

Ok Tedi mine was a green-field operation remotely located in the Western Province of PNG that necessitated the development of all the infrastructure, including roads, housing, airstrips, power supply and a port located at Kiunga on the Fly River to ship supplies in, and coppergold concentrate out to market.

Ok Tedi began mining operations in 1984, initially as a gold mine to exploit the gold-rich cap on the Mount Fubilan deposit, and then as a copper-gold mine in 1987 for the majority of the ore body. In 2002, BHP exited Ok Tedi, announcing its interest to the PNG Sustainable Development Programme (SDP).

10 years later in 2012, Ok Tedi became a fully owned Papua New Guinea entity when Inmet Mining Corporation shares were purchased

by Ok Tedi. The following year, Ok

In the area of Logistics, Consort Express Lines provide the most comprehensive network of shipping services in Papua New Guinea with an exceptionally trained and committed team.

Consort Express Lines is proud to have been an Ok Tedi Mining vendor for over 15 years.

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Ok TEDI MINING

Tedi became a majority state-owned enterprise when the SDP shares were cancelled, and the government of PNG scaled its direct ownership to 87.8 percent.

Interestingly, Ok Tedi mine was due to be closed in 2010. However, following extensive mining studies which resulted in the further definition of the Mt. Fubilan resource, Ok Tedi sought approval to continue operations as a producer of copper, gold and silver until 2025. The continuation of the mine was agreed and supported by the communities 22 | APAC Outlook issue 49

impacted by the mine’s operations.

Today, Ok Tedi has the right employees, with the right skillset, in the right positions to respond to current global challenges. The organisation has a motivated, committed workforce and possesses world-class rosters, terms and conditions and accommodation that provide robust productivity and results for the PNG people and the economy. The company is renowned as a sustainable, efficient and well-regarded operating firm that delivers value to stakeholders and the PNG economy.

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Ok TEDI MINING

‘OPERATIONAL SITES ARE LOCATED IN TABUBIL, KIUNGA, BIGE, WITH SUPPORT OFFICES IN PORT MORESBY AND A MARKETING AND LOGISTICS OFFICE IN BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA’ The OTML registered office and senior management team are located at Tabubil. Operational sites are located in Tabubil, Kiunga, Bige, with support offices in Port Moresby and a marketing and logistics office in Brisbane, Australia. Ok Tedi Mining exports copper concentrate containing gold and silver to smelters in Germany, India, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.

MINING OPERATIONS Mining of the Mt. Fubilan Ore Reserves is undertaken through a large open pit 24 | APAC Outlook issue 49

operation through conventional drill and blast techniques, with shovel and excavator loading equipment. The current pit design and pit sequencing has been developed to maximise value while meeting environmental constraints agreed with mine-affected communities.

With up to 11 metres of rainfall per annum, incident rainfall and runoff contribute significant volumes of free water draining into the pit. Rainwater also permeates into the rock mass which contributes to instability as a result of increased pore pressure.

Comprehensive monitoring of hydrological and geotechnical factors is introduced into its mining strategy and plans to ensure safe operations.

C

OSOL and OTML have worked together since 2001. During this time, COSOL has embraced the OTML ‘One Team, Wan Pasin’ philosophy.

Fully embedded at Ok Tedi, COSOL is committed to working with an emphasis on upskilling and mentoring local employees to ensure the benefits of their work together is retained in the community.

When completely different challenges emerged in 2020, the OTML-COSOL team was able to rapidly pivot to focus on the COVID-19 response due to the close nature of the partnership.

The clear and significant benefit of this relationship was underscored during the global pandemic as the team worked seamlessly and quickly to develop and manage entirely new processes such as COVID-19 testing and tracking, management of sensitive personnel data and enablement of remote working.

The ultimate success of the service at OTML is measured through demonstrable business improvement. These benefits are in turn converted into tangible outcomes in health, education, and infrastructure for the Ok Tedi community and Papua New Guinea.

“We are honoured to be part of this unique journey with OTML, drawing together the expertise of both teams to unlock potential at Ok Tedi,” said Scott McGowan.

COSOL partners with asset intensive organisations to drive quantifiable business improvements through the enhanced use of digital solutions.

While COSOL provides flexible and tailored support services around the world, understanding the cultural and logistical challenges in providing support to remote mining locations is a key strength of the organisation.

“The lessons we’ve learned working shoulder to shoulder with OTML to deliver both business and community outcomes is experience we now draw on when working with our other clients. Our core value proposition is centred around this kind of client intimacy,” said COSOL Chief Executive Officer, Scott McGowan.

+ 617 3129 3341 | www.cosol.com.au

Ok TEDI MINING

‘NEARLY THE ENTIRETY OF THE RIVER RUNS THROUGH THE NORTH FLY DISTRICT OF THE WESTERN PROVINCE OF PNG, HOWEVER, THE RIVER CROSSES THE INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY WITH INDONESIA FOR LESS THAN ONE KILOMETRE’ THE OK TEDI RIVER Located in Papua New Guinea, the Ok Tedi mine is based near the headwaters of the river, sourced in the Star Mountains. Nearly the entirety of the river runs through the North Fly District of the Western Province of PNG, however, the river crosses the international boundary with Indonesia for less than one kilometre. It is the 26 | APAC Outlook issue 49

biggest settlement of the Western Province, and the second largest tributary of the Fly River.

PROCESSING Ore is mined and processed at an onsite flotation processing plant capable of treating around 24 million tonnes per annum. The plant currently recovers copper, gold and silver into

a saleable concentrate. The primary ore is crushed and ground using Semi Autogenous Grinding and Ball mills to a final grain size of approximately 180 microns. The finely ground material is treated in two mineral floatation circuits to extract the copper, gold and silver as a copper concentrate. A portion of gold is also separately captured through the utilisation of a gravity gold circuit.

Ok TEDI MINING

EMACS Proudly Australian owned with over 30 years of heavy industry experience EMACS has become an industry leader and a trusted asset repair specialist throughout Australia and the Asia Pacific Region.

We specialize in high quality electrical and mechanical rotating equipment overhauls, repairs and testing on-site and in-house. Along with these services we also have a dedicated warehouse supplying an extensive range of pumps and pump parts. Our trade and technical expertise with a commitment to superior workmanship across mining, heavy industries, power utilities and manufacturing means you are in safe hands.

‘Ok TEDI’S EXPLORATION STRATEGY IS PRIMARILY BASED AROUND THREE CORE AREAS: ENHANCING ITS KNOWLEDGE AND MAPPING IN AND AROUND ITS EXISTING MT. FUBILAN PIT, EXPLORATION OF NEAR MINE LOCATIONS AND REGIONAL EXPLORATION’ Subsequently, the concentrate is then piped 156 kilometres south to the Kiunga port facilities located on the Fly River. The concentrate is dried, stored and shipped by barge down the Fly River to a storage vessel which is fundamentally anchored in Port Moresby’s Fairfax Harbour. It is then transferred to a silo and storage vessel before being exported using commercial shipping to customers in Japan, Philippines, Germany, South Korea and India where it is refined to produce copper metal and gold and silver bullion.

DEVELOPMENT AND EXPLORATION Ok Tedi’s exploration strategy is primarily based around three core areas: enhancing its knowledge and mapping in and around its existing Mt. Fubilan pit, exploration of near mine 28 | APAC Outlook issue 49

locations and regional exploration.

The current OTML exploration programme revolves around five exploration licences which covers around 680 kilometres.

In line with the reinvigorated exploration strategy that is focused on the near-mine environment where the mineralisation potential is highest and easily accessible, the majority of the exploration licences are located along the prospective Ok Tedi corridor.

This corridor is a deep-seated geologic feature that trends northnortheast through the Ok Tedi deposit into the West Sepik Province where currently, all known copper and gold mineralisation in the region is located.

Discovery and definition of additional mineral resources within the Special Mining Lease (SML) in close proximity to the processing plant remains an exploration priority.

Investing in our future, we are excited to be developing a purpose-built test bay guided by engineering and industry experts, which will become one of the largest testing facilities in Australia for rotating equipment. The objective of our testing facility is to provide our clients with a comprehensive service, which means that you as the end user can be confident your assets are returned to service knowing they have met stringent standards ensuring reliability, reducing downtime and outages which are critical in a highly competitive marketplace.

We value our clients and understand the demands of industry so working collaboratively and closely ensures the best possible outcome is achieved especially when repairs are time critical.

www.emacs.com.au

YOUR TRUSTED ASSET REPAIR SPECIALISTS EMACS’s highly experienced service and repair technicians are committed to meeting the demands of your industry. Our customized solutions, efficiency and reputation for excellence ensures your key assets remain reliable.

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Ok TEDI MINING

The exploration team have several near mine programmes at different stages. The primary aim is to grow the mineral resource base and subsequent ore reserves through focused, safe exploration. Immediate attention is on replacing resources mined from within the SML. This includes converting resources already drilled to the appropriate density in the East Wall of Mt. Fubilan pit to reserves and identifying other targets that can be proven up and converted into reserves.

Exploration in the Paris (West Wall South) and Sulphide Creek (New York and Wellington) areas, proximal to the current pit are delivering promising results. These areas are the current focus for near mine exploration to increase the mineral resource in the short to medium-term.

OTML has continued to explore 30 | APAC Outlook issue 49

outside of the SML as part of its wider regional exploration programme on granted leases. OTML holds a number of brownfields strategic exploration leases in the Western Province. The exploration effort has included the assessment of geophysical and geochemical data from various anomalies, mapping and sampling programmes and drilling of prospective targets.

The target areas include Townsville, Kauwol, Anju and Dorongo licences.

SUPPORT OPERATIONS Ok Tedi’s location is based in a geographically remote area of Western Province which is surrounded by a challenging terrain. As a result of the remote location of the mineral resource, as well as the low levels of settlement before the establishment of the mine, OTML built the township

of Tabubil to support the operations.

Tabubil provides the infrastructure required to support the mine, including an airport, workshops, warehouses, housing, banks, schools and medical facilities. Tabubil Hospital provides support for the six local aid posts in the mine-affected areas such as Finalbin, Bultem, Migalsim, Sisimakam, Ok Ma and Atemkit.

The town has sealed roads, gutters and kerbs, power, reticulated water, sewage and garbage collection. The majority of the accommodation is in the form of detached high-set housing and camp facilities for Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) workers.

PROVIDING WORLD-CLASS HEALTHCARE Since mining began in 1984, OTML has been the primary provider and financial supporter of private and

100% Australian Owned and Operated • Welding Machines • Welding Consumables • Engineering Supplies • Cutting & Grinding • Rigging & Lifting • Gas Equipment • Safety Products • Plasma Cutting www.globalweldingsupplies.com.au

Ok TEDI MINING

GR Engineering Services GR Engineering Services Limited (GRES) is an ASX-listed process design and engineering company providing fixed price EPC and EPCM project delivery services to the mining and minerals processing industries internationally.

GR Engineering worked with Ok Tedi Mining Limited under an EPCM contract for the engineering services, procurement support, detailed designed and construction work for the Crusher Replacement Project in Papua New Guinea and continues to support the operation with ongoing project services.

The project included the installation of a new and fully equipped crusher and screening circuit to achieve 24 Mtpa throughput rate.

The gyratory crusher installed is one of the largest machines of this type currently being manufactured in the world.

public health services throughout the Western Province. The firm works closely with various multi-sectoral stakeholders for the provision of health services. These include the Fly River Provincial Health Department, a number of church-based providers, NGOs and private health providers.

Providing access to world-class health services for the community and OTML’s workforce is a key priority. As such, OTML owns Tabubil Hospital, which is an accredited five-star facility under the PNG Department of Health system. The hospital is mainly funded

by OTML, with a contribution from the Fly River Provincial Government.

The hospital provides services to the communities in the North Fly District and Telefomin District and is renowned as the Western Province’s referral hospital.

As a teaching hospital, the hospital provides medical care and services to OTML employees and dependents, contractor employees and the general public. The hospital also offers a practical field for academic and clinical training programmes of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Divine Word University, while also conducting medical research to provide input into Biomedical and 32 | APAC Outlook issue 49

Health Sciences research within PNG. Ok Tedi has committed PGK20 million to help PNG curb the escalating COVID-19 cases within the country. In March 2021, OTML General Manager for Community and Operations Support, Kedi Ilimbit, confirmed the announcement and said that OTML’s commitment demonstrates the company’s seriousness in overcoming PNG’s escalating COVID-19 situation.

Ilimbit added that PGK10 million would be given to the Port Moresby General Hospital as well as other agencies determined by the National Government while the other PGK10 million will be leveraged for the procurement, distribution and rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Western Province, with priority given to the OTML workforce, contractors and residents.

GRES has successfully completed feasibility studies, process and engineering designs and construction works for projects of varying scale and covering a diverse range of metalliferous and mineral commodities. The company has delivered mineral processing, hydrometallurgical facilities and nonprocess infrastructure to a range of clients, both in Australia and internationally. GRES has extensive metalliferous and minerals experience including precious metals, base metals, iron ore, lithium, graphite, HPA, SOP and solar salt. The company is equipped to provide innovative engineering solutions for all types of mining and minerals projects.

The innovative engineering solutions developed by GRES enable our clients to confidently move into development with the knowledge that the outcomes from study work will be reproduced in the operation of their projects.

GRES has a presence in the Americas via its wholly owned subsidiary Hanlon Engineering & Associates, Inc. (Hanlon), based in Arizona, USA. Hanlon is capable of providing the complete suite of engineering and project management services and is a reputable brand to the minerals industry in America’s western states.

GRES also has a presence in the hydrocarbons industry via its wholly owned subsidiary, Upstream Production Solutions (Upstream). Upstream is a leading provider of operations, maintenance and well management services to the oil and gas industry in Australia.

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GR Engineering is proud to have assisted Ok Tedi Mining Limited with the delivery of the Ok Tedi Crusher Replacement Project.

Project success at the earliest opportunity

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GR Engineering has a proven track record of delivering integrated project solutions in over 20 countries across of and operational With all safety major commodity types. Asperformance. a group, GR Engineering employs more than 500 professional, technical and a proven track record of delivering turn-key support staff within Australia and internationally. GR projects in over 20 countries GR Engineering has Engineering directly engage the construction workforce experience all major metalliferous and for projects inacross Australia.

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Ok TEDI MINING

Hastings Deering Papua New Guinea Hastings Deering Papua New Guinea (HDPNG) has a long history of working in PNG across mining, transport, energy and construction industries.

The 35 year partnership between OTML and HDPNG has contributed greatly to the success of both companies. The two companies have been at the centre of many world firsts, including (at one time) operating the largest fleet of Cat 793F Large Mining Trucks in the world and being the testing ground for the new Cat 994 Wheel Loader before its worldwide launch.

‘THE TABUBIL THERMAL POWER STATION INCLUDES A COMBINATION OF DIESEL-POWERED RECIPROCATING ENGINES AND TURBINES WITH A TOTAL COMBINED INSTALLED CAPACITY OF 63 MW TO SUPPLEMENT THE HYDROELECTRIC GENERATION AND MEET THE BALANCE OF THE POWER DEMAND’ “We will be working closely with the Sustainable Development Programme and the Western Province Health Authority to implement the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out plan in the Western Province.

“Ok Tedi remains fully committed to take the lead and join forces with the Government, and other relevant agencies to address this pandemic that is impacting all of us.

Our commitment demonstrates the same duty of care we have for our employees, to be extended to other Papua New Guineans, including our people of Western Province.”

POWER Ok Tedi is the largest power user in the Western Province, producing its power from both hydro and 34 | APAC Outlook issue 49

thermal generation. Power for the Ok Tedi operations is generated by a combination of hydroelectric and thermal power generation units, in order to meet the average and peak demand for some 63 megawatts (MW) and 70 MW respectively.

The hydroelectric generation consists of the main 56 MW power station at Ok Menga and the 2.4 MW station at Yuk Creek. The Tabubil thermal power station includes a combination of diesel-powered reciprocating engines and turbines with a total combined installed capacity of 63 MW to supplement the hydroelectric generation and meet the balance of the power demand.

Smaller thermal generation units are also located at Bige, Kiunga and other outstations.

The relationship has helped HDPNG develop many customised solutions to solve specific issues at the OTML operation, including the building of a small excavator that could be easily broken down into small pieces and long lined by Helicopter into remote areas of the Western Province.

Today HDPNG maintains parts supply and back up support for almost all the earthmoving fleet at OTML. As well as its core business HDPNG contributes to local communities by way of sporting donations and via the Ok Tedi Development Fund. (This year additional funding was provided to build a new classroom valued at PGK ~60,000.00.)

Having trained experts on the ground is crucial in PNG. HDPNG is committed to developing local staff, across its 6 branches, with industry leading training on Cat machines and the technology that supports them.

The future in PNG looks bright and HDPNG is positioned very well to help develop the country and keep its customers moving.

Phone +675 300 8300

Ok TEDI MINING

Haymans Electrical Haymans Electrical & Data Suppliers are part of Metal Manufacturers Limited (MML). Established in 1916, MML has become Australia’s leading network of electrical distributors servicing domestic, construction, manufacturing, government, utilities and resources markets. Today the company employs over 3000 staff across more than 370 locations with an annual revenue stream over $2 billion.

Our Haymans Milton service centre located in Brisbane has been continuously servicing the industrial and mining sector in Papua New Guinea for over 30 years. The foundation of our business is built on strong long term relationships like that of our proud history with Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML). We understand the critical nature of OTML operations and are committed to constantly delivering cost effective globally sourced solutions through our value chain for optimal mine maintenance and project productivity.

WATER Process water is pumped from the Dablan Creek pumping station near Tabubil through a large diameter steel pipeline and a number of pump stations that are used to transfer the water up to the mountain range to the mill. Recycled process water is also used in the processing plant.

SUPPLY AND LOGISTICS Supply and logistics mobilise around 4,000 twenty-foot equivalent containers and 100 megalitres of diesel every year. Freight and concentrate material are transported between Port Moresby, Brisbane and Kiunga by the OTML shipping fleet on the Fly River. These vessels are owned by five different entities. Five of the vessels are managed by P&O Maritime, and a single vessel each contracted from Consort Express Lines, Curtain Brothers and Puma Energy.

36 | APAC Outlook issue 49

Goods are then loaded on Ok Tedi’s constructed and maintained public gravel road between Kiunga and Tabubil and then onto the mine, utilising a fleet of prime movers, tankers and trailers.

OTML is dependent on adequate water levels being maintained in the Fly River to allow shipping movements to transport copper concentrate from Kiunga to the silo vessel and, upon return, provide fuel, supplies and other consumables for the operation.

Airports are located at Tabubil, Kiunga and Bige where OTML has scheduled charter flights to move FIFO employees and contractors to and from work. Ok Tedi currently charters Dash 8 and Twin Otter aircrafts to uplift freight on an as-required-basis, further supporting operations. A helicopter supports exploration activity as well as environmental, community relations and security operations.

Through a decentralised service centre model we bring a localised and customer focused decision making process to everything we do. Haymans Milton customers benefit from locally customised and scalable inventory, channels for custom manufactured products and strong sourcing partnerships including suppliers in the USA and Europe for consolidated ordering to reduce costs. Our experienced team quote and manage projects of all sizes to customers’ requirements and collaborate with a broad preferred supplier network to provide excellent technical support. Close proximity to Brisbane Airport and the Port of Brisbane minimizes lead times and allows for fast turnarounds in breakdown situations.

Haymans & MML uphold safe and inclusive business practices and maintain certification to AS/NZS ISO 9001:2015. Our continuous focus on improvement drives us to create better outcomes for our customers, suppliers and staff.

haymans.mmem.com.au/milton

HAYMANS ELECTRICAL & DATA SUPPLIES Specialist suppliers of electrical, communications, lighting and renewable energy products OUR SERVICES - Global Sourcing - Custom Products - Vendor Managed Inventory - Project Quoting & Delivery - Logistics

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Ok TEDI MINING

Markham Culverts Ltd HELPING PNG ENGINEERS BUILD A BETTER PNG Markham Culverts Ltd has been in Papua New Guinea since 1972, manufacturing corrugated steel culverts, deck planks and Markham Palisade Fencing as their core products.

We are proud of our position as the best supplier to the civil engineering sector in PNG, always selling products that meet the required standards.

We hold exclusive agencies with some of the world’s most prestigious manufacturers of geosynthetics.

We not only stock a wide range of material ,but have in-house engineering staff and access to world class design capabilities and we provide free engineering advice and support.

‘AIRPORTS ARE LOCATED AT TABUBIL, KIUNGA AND BIGE WHERE OTML HAS SCHEDULED CHARTER FLIGHTS TO MOVE FIFO EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTORS TO AND FROM WORK’ ASSET MANAGEMENT Ok Tedi operates and maintains a modern mobile equipment mining fleet and ancillary equipment. OTML also operates and maintains fixed/ processing plants and equipment in the processing plant and Kiunga operations, which has been active for more than 30 years. During this time, there have been significant equipment component changes and upgrades done to the existing plants. There is continuous planned maintenance to maximise equipment reliability and to meet production targets.

MINING IN PNG Since 1970, the mining sector has played an influential role in PNG’s economy. Mineral exports are gold, copper, silver, nickel and cobalt.

38 | APAC Outlook issue 49

The industry is facing a number of competing trends as well as a rapidly changing global business environment. Against the backdrop of commodity price fluctuations, miners should be able to balance shareholder dividend expectations while maintaining an investment pipeline in the middle of increasing operating costs.

Safety, environmental and community principles also continue to shape the industry as miners seek to achieve their license to operate and deliver on corporate responsibilities.

In addition to the global mining landscape, mining firms in PNG have to cope with additional complexities, such as balancing the government’s desire for development, the needs of communities and resource owners, as well as environmental sustainability.

Markham Culverts is the licensed owner of several well-known PNG products such as “Bailey Bridge”, Pukpuk Palisade fencing, Dekplank.

We are sole distributors and stockiest of Geofabric Bidim brand and Mirafi PET and othe woven fabrics. We are the only seller of wire products which always meets the standards for use on roads in PNG, we sell Maccaferri the best available.

Over the years , after an exhaustive process of testing our products ,have now become part of the construction manual for agencies such as DOW, Mining Oil & Gas users, Provincial and District road projects, bridges and culverts all to PNG standards.

Proof of our success is the wide ranges of customers who continue to come back to us.

For more: Contact Markham Culverts on: 472 2666 or POM Office on 761 80301 or send an email to: mculverts@markham.com.pg.

www.markham.com.pg

Ok TEDI MINING

MTIS Group After establishing solid foundations in Australia MTIS Group (MTIS) expanded into Papua New Guinea to service their clients increasing demand. With state-of-the-art equipment and thousands of unique products stocked locally, MTIS are the largest and only specialised company in our field offering fluid handling solutions to the oil and gas, mining, petrochemical, infrastructure, manufacturing, and civil sectors through our three major divisions.

‘SAFETY, ENVIRONMENTAL AND COMMUNITY PRINCIPLES ALSO CONTINUE TO SHAPE THE INDUSTRY AS MINERS SEEK TO ACHIEVE THEIR LICENSE TO OPERATE AND DELIVER ON CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITIES’ Despite the challenges, PNG is located in a highly prospective region and the opportunities for large-scale development are significant. There are several major projects that are readied for development, such as Wafi-Golpu.

Ok TEDI DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION (OTDF) The Ok Tedi Development Foundation (OTDF) is a subsidiary of OTML and is a non-profit, legal entity established to manage the development benefits and delivery of projects to the 157 villages in the Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA) area of the Western Province and with consideration for the people of the Telefomin District in the Sanduan Province. Its vision: “To improve selfsustainability and quality of life of Western Province communities.”

Havini Vira has been the CEO of the OTDF since April 2020. Vira 40 | APAC Outlook issue 49

is now in his second stint with the company, having served as Fisheries Biologist and Team Leader of Rural Development from 2004 to 2010.

While in this position, he managed a team of six, was responsible for agriculture, fisheries and forestry research and development work for the benefit of mine affected communities in the CMCA regions around the mine and Fly River.

“I became involved in the mining industry through my work in developing livelihood and food security options for mine affected communities,” he says. “The challenge to create sustainable livelihood options and changing the mindset of these communities beyond mine-life is the key driver for me.”

Today, he leads operations at OTDF and is responsible for ensuring the company remains focused on achieving its mission to improve

Our fluid handling division specialises in the design, manufacture, supply, installation, and maintenance of hydraulic, lubrication, refuelling, filtration and pump systems, and their associated components. Through many successful years of industry service MTIS secured direct trading relationships with some of the largest global manufacturers to provide our clients with short lead times, competitive pricing, and great service.

Our calibrations and supply division specialises in a diverse range of services. This includes, but not limited to, supply and certification for pressure, temperature, mass, dimensional and torque. Furthermore, this service is complimented by servicing, testing, and maintenance on associated components for instrument systems.

Our engineered solutions divisions core focus is delivering turnkey packages across general fabrication, rebuilds and specialist auxiliary scopes of work for onshore and offshore oil and gas. This includes flange management, pressure testing, pigging, flushing, internal cleaning and drying. Having worked on some of the largest LNG projects in Australia, our engineers offer a wealth of experience allowing MTIS to offer tailored asset management programs to our clients. Whether it be solving an existing problem, redesigning, repairing or maintenance programs; our engineering team has the expertise to make it happen.

www.mtisgroup.com

Ok TEDI MINING

Pacific Laboratory Products Pacific Laboratory Products is a wholly owned Australian Company which supplies a broad range of Instrumentation and Consumables to Laboratories throughout Australia.

Established in April 2005.

Our product portfolio encompasses capital equipment and an extensive range of branded and generic consumables Our success in the marketplace has been the ability to provide customers with an in-depth supply of products across a wide range of industries.

Havini Vira, CEO of Ok Tedi Development Foundation self-sustainability and quality of life for Western Province communities.

In addition, Vira is also tasked with ensuring its key partners and stakeholders are informed of its plans and progress with the key stakeholders being its communities.

Having rejoined the organisation and now in his second spell, Vira believes that the mindset has changed. “People have come to realise that the mine isn’t a forever thing and it will be gone one day,” he notes. “It is a lot easier now than it was in the early days to try and get people to farm and look after themselves.

The mindset has changed, and this is 42 | APAC Outlook issue 49

because of the effort that OTDF has done in the community. It’s a slow process but we’re getting there.”

For Vira, he believes that this is an exciting time to be in mining within Papua New Guinea. “There are some major projects coming up with their own unique challenges,” he says.

“One thing common throughout is the community consultation and aspiration factor. The need to balance this with the mining returns and environmental impact is even more critical here where land ownership is woven into the very fabric of our society.”

OTDF is a 100 percent subsidiary of Ok Tedi and is focused on improving the lives of the PNG community.

While OTDF is forever linked to its parent firm, Vira explains that his organisation still runs independently.

“We have our own board and management, but we do have an unbreakable umbilical cord with Ok Tedi so are tied to them,” he says. “We are given license to operate outside of Ok Tedi because we are far more accessible to the community.”

Pacific Laboratory Products’ success is built on an unrelenting pursuit of providing customer service at the highest possible level providing Laboratory solutions for a vast range of markets.

Recently PLP has been very successful in launching the smallest qPCR instrument in the world which is used for COVID-19 testing. The simple lab setup is TGA registered and is being used in many mining companies around the world. The Technique is robust and will provide 99.98% reliable results in under 2 ½ hours. The Genesig Q16 instrument and test kits from Primer design are considered the benchmark in COVID19 testing by the WHO. The technical staff at PLP support laboratory personnel in training, understanding results and trouble shooting. We are committed to long term support in all laboratory solutions Find out more by visiting www. pacificlab.com.ay

OTDF’S WORK IN THE WESTERN PROVINCE The Western Province is the largest province in PNG and covers 20 percent of PNG’s land mass at 97,300 square kilometres, but the population is only 201,351 (2011 Census). This

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Ok TEDI MINING is because of a traditional ‘hunter and gatherer’ lifestyle across an undulating and dense tropical landscape.

The lifeline of Western Province is the Fly River as the majority of its residents live along or near its banks and tributaries. The river runs across 650 miles long and goes through the province from north to south where it ends at the Gulf of Papua through a mouth which equates to over 90 kilometres wide. The river also defines various districts within the Western Province, which is dependent upon the proximity to and along the Fly River.

The Fly River is the primary route for mining suppliers and distribution of government services via a growing fleet of private and commercial vessels.

NORTH FLY DISTRICT Located in the upper reaches and most remote district within the Western Province as a result of its mountainous ranges and valleys, with the North Fly District the smallest of three districts.

North Fly District’s population is around 62,850 people (2011 Census) and is overseen by the Local-Level Government areas of Kiunga Rural, Kiunga Urban, Ningerum Rural, Olsobip Rural and Star Mountains Rural, as well as the townships of Kiunga, Tabubil, Olsobip and Nigerum.

Middle Fly District The region is characterised by wide flood plains, and a number of tributaries and swamps. The upper stream sections have vegetation such as rainforest, swamp forest

OTDF FOCUS AREAS OTDF seeks to build capacity and self-sufficiency within the local communities to develop long-term sustainable outcomes. OTDF focuses on delivering outcomes in five key sectors through the efficient and effective implementation of high-quality, sustainable projects: • Community and Social Development • Health • Education • Infrastructure • Local and Regional Economic Development OTDF works in partnership with its communities and their formal structures, including Village Planning Committees, CMCA Trust Boards, Women’s Associations, CMCA Advisory Committee and Board Associate Directors. Complementing the CMCA collaborations are the technical, managerial and funding partnerships to support project implementation and augment funding.

KEY PRINCIPLES • Effective management and implementation of regional development programmes.

• Strengthening partnerships and involvement with stakeholders.

• Prudent financial and operational systems management and accountability.

• Open and transparent communications.

PNG Ports Corporation LTD PNG Ports Corporation Limited (PNG Ports) is Papua New Guinea’s premier port facilities provider of berthage, wharfage and pilotage services.

It has sole authority over all declared ports in the country and manages 15 of the 23 declared ports in Lae, Port Moresby, Kimbe, Madang, Alotau, Rabaul, Kavieng, Oro Bay, Kieta, Buka, Vanimo, Lorengau, Wewak, Daru and Aitape.

Two of the busiest ports in Lae and Motukea (Port Moresby) are being operated by international terminal operator - International Container Terminal Services Inc. Marine pilotage services provided at the declared ports are done by a team of highly qualified and experienced marine pilots based at all ports.

Boasting a fleet of well-equipped pilot boats stationed right across the network of ports, PNG Ports takes pride as the only capable marine pilotage services provider in the region, and has been safely and efficiently delivering this service for over 50 years.

PNG Ports is also responsible for all maritime regulatory laws through the Harbour Management Services division.

This division overseas the control of any port development, management and operation of ports, and transporting of dangerous goods, among others.

As a key partner in the growth and development of the nation, PNG Ports continues to invest greatly in its services, facilities and people.

Through the ongoing ‘modernisation drive’, PNG Ports is now on par with global industry standards, has opened doors to more regional partnerships, and is set to witness more developmental progress over the next five years.

Visit www.pngports.com.pg to know more.

www.pngports.com.pg

44 | APAC Outlook issue 49

Ok TEDI MINING

and sago while the lower reaches of Middle Fly District are primarily flood plains where extensive areas of swamp grasses grow. Population sits at around 79,349 (2011 Census) and includes the local-level government area of Balimo Urban, Bamu Rural, Gogodala and Nomad. The Middle Fly District is also home to the largest lake in the country, Lake Murray.

SOUTH FLY DISTRICT Located at the bottom of the Fly River and across the Gulf of Papua, including the Fly River delta, the South Fly District is mostly impacted by tidal flows, which supports comprehensive mangroves along the mainland and delta islands at the mouth of the river. The district consists of 31,864 kilometres with population at around 46,407 (2011 Census). The South Fly District includes the Provincial capital of Daru and is governed by four local-level government areas of Daru Urban, Kiwai Rural, Morehead Rural and Oriomo-Bituri Rural.

Under the CMCA arrangement, OTDF manages 158 villages that are allocated development funds 46 | APAC Outlook issue 49

while village planning committees nominate community projects.

“These nominations are reviewed and approved by regional trust boards who meet a minimum of twice a year,” says Vira. “The same process is mirrored with the women’s 10 percent compensation component with regional women’s associations making the decisions. OTDF manages and facilitates the process and procures/delivers all approved projects to the villages.

“There are very few development organisations in this part of PNG,” he adds. “The logistical challenges alone are a constraint to many who are willing to come. The provincial government is stretched with resources given that this is the province with the largest land mass and the lowest density – communities are widely spread. OTDF is able to provide support to communities along the Fly River and also assist government/development partners through our field bases and logistical backbone. Collaboration is therefore key for communities to access services, OTDF is able to support that.”

OK TEDI DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION: MISSION Its mission and purpose are the same: manage the OTDF programmes and funds in order to assist the Western Province communities with financial selfreliance through socio-economic initiatives, improved health and education and enabling infrastructure.

Operating independently of OTML since 2009, the organisation is proud to have 50 full-time staff, 60 part-time staff and committed volunteers throughout Western Province dedicated to ensuring its objectives and goals are aligned with those communities it serves. To date, it has achieved considerable outcomes across its investment portfolio and all five pillars of CMCA community development.

UNIQUE & CREATIVE SOLUTIONS

Simtronix Limited was founded by Kelly Kesawe in 2010, in Tabubil Township in Western Province by providing basic computer and electronics equipment repairs and communications services in the Township of Tabubil and the surrounding area. The company’s aspiration for taking on the challenges led into signing a business vendor contract with Ok Tedi Mining Limited 2011 to provide the ICT services.

This opportunity gave Simtronix the opprotunity to operate as a contract company to Ok Tedi Mining Ltd providing a variety of services under OTML’s approved scope of work from 2012 to date.

ICT is the company’s core business, but also provides other services such as the following; • • • • • • • •

Information Technology Electronics & Communication Labor Hire in Instrumentation and Process Control Electrical Maintenance Services Graphics Design and Sign Writing Shutdown and Break-down Building and Construction Services Plant & Equipment Hire Services

Simtronix Limited aims to stay at the fore front of the industry and has adopted and developed HSE policies and management practices that sees the quality control of every task. Our safety systems are in accordance with prescribed safety standards and they are instilled into our employees ensuring that our work is completed with zero harm as our #1 priority.

We empower our people to: • Intervene when they witness any ‘at-risk’ behaviour • Lead by example • Identify and manage hazards associated with the activities for which they are responsible • Courageously and honestly report all accidents and hazards • Take the time to do things right; do the job safely or not at all – do not cut corners The safety of our workforce is the most important aspect of our business, no exception.

(+675) 649 4117 | info@simtronixlimited.com | www.simtronixlimited.com

Ok TEDI MINING

Vira points to two particularly influential initiatives that have stood out for him over the past few years. “For me, there are two that stand out,” he explains. “One has been the increase in security. In our communities here in Western Province, there have been many ‘hunters and gatherers’ traditionally in the past. It is only in recent times that people have settled down. The concept of farming is quite new and has taken many years with OTDF’s continued support to change people’s mindsets to be more stable and focused on the future. This concept is now starting to gain some traction and for me has been a major positive because it has made our lives easier.”

“The second thing is the long-term investments. In 2012, we made a decision to invest in long-term funds because they were sitting in the bank earning two percent and now, they’re earning a minimum of eight percent return on investment. It’s been really successful, and it is also important for the community because after Ok Tedi goes, they will have funding available for the future.”

48 | APAC Outlook issue 49

Looking to the next few years, OTDF has outlined a clear vision for the future. The organisation is currently building capacity and empowering its CMCA communities and associated entities in order to operate independently beyond mine life. “Currently, OTDF programmes will be transferred to provincial stakeholders/partners as communities become sustainable,” notes Vira. “By 2025, OTDF will essentially be managing the trust and corporate functions – particularly facilitating development funds expenditure from current long-term investments.

“WestAgro is expected to support income generation at the household level. This will be a sustainable venture that is agribusiness focused using the nucleus estate model. We are starting with vanilla in the North Fly in 2021.

IAI is the implementing/managing partner who will also be responsible for extension and support services to smallholders. The provincial government has invested in this venture with our local communities through various entities also putting money

into the business. After 2022, Middle Fly and Suki will have cocoa rolling out. SDP has also commenced work in the South Fly with IAI. Sustainable agribusiness underpinned by nucleus estates, extension services and a strong smallholder programme is expected to become the economic driver in Western Province after Ok Tedi.”

Ok TEDI’S SUSTAINABILITY DRIVE It is estimated that since the beginning of the mine, OTML has contributed around PGK10 billion in assisting the development of economically sustainable local and regional communities within the Western Province. Since 1998, more than PGK3 billion has been invested in decreasing the long-term impact on the river system including the removal of pyrite from the tailings, addition of limestone to waste rock and tailings to maintain alkalinity in the river system and the dredging of sands from the river bed around 100 kilometers downstream of the mine at Bige.

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Ok TEDI MINING

SNF Australia OTML, led by Musje Werror, continue to invest to ensure responsible and sustainable mining and deliver projects to the community through a unique partnership between OTML, the PNG government and people of the Western Province of PNG. These values align with those of SNF, which is why we are proud to continue our long-term partnership with OTML, that delivers sustained success for both parties.

The Ok Tedi mine originally planned to construct both a tailings dam and a waste rock dump to retain much of the mine derived waste during its mine life. However, in 1984, during the construction of the foundation for the tailings dam at Ok Ma, a landslide filled the area. Subsequent state approval was given for an Interim Tailings Storage (ITS) facility which was then developed in a bid to contain tailings at the commencement of operations. Upon the design capacity of the ITS being reached in 1986, further approval by the state was granted for treated tailings to be discharged directly into nearby creeks, eventually flowing into the Ok Tedi and the Fly Rivers.

In 1989, the Northern waste rock dump, that has been developed in the upper reaches of Sulphide Creek, was destroyed by a landslide. Approval was given by the state for OTML to continue using failing waste dumps to the North and South of the pit.

Since then, mine waste was disposed into two tributary systems of the Ok Tedi: Sulphide Creek which joins the Ok Gilor and then the Ok Mabiong before coalescing with the Upper Ok Tedi and Harvey Creek which joins the Ok Mani before it coalesces with the Ok Tedi at Tabubil.

Over the years, the discharge 50 | APAC Outlook issue 49

of waste rock and tailings has significantly increased the sediment load of the river. While much of the waste rock consists of coarse material, around 60 percent of it breaks down during transport into finer material in the sand-silt size range. While the gravels aren’t transported beyond the middle reaches of the Ok Tedi, the finer material passes into the Fly River.

The riverine discharge of tailings and waste rock management continues to be the most significant long-term environmental challenge for OTML. This has had adverse environmental impacts on the Ok Tedi and Fly River systems and associated eco-systems, which has subsequently impacted the livelihood and cultural life of the communities who live along the river corridor.

The OTML Environmental team, which consists of environmental scientists and technicians, is responsible for monitoring the past and present impacts of the mine along the 1,000 kilometres downstream riverine system from the mine to the Fly River Delta. This includes maintaining a hydrological network of monitoring stations along the river system, regular field sampling of water, sediment and food, vegetation surveys, data analysis and reporting.

The Environmental team collaborates

We strive to align with OTML’s “ONE TEAM, WAN PASIN” culture.

Our world-class technical team supported by our PNG partner Mahjac Enterprises, work collaboratively with OTML to provide process and metallurgical optimisation and tailored solutions that deliver productivity and cost improvements.

SNF supply innovative process control technologies and polymer make-up systems. With over 65 Flodose units across Oceania, our Flodose technology continues to provide OTML with accurate, real-time reagent dose control to significantly reduce polymer costs, minimise operator supervision and intervention and improve thickener reliability and stability.

Our world-class technical expertise and technology are backed by the world’s largest polymer manufacturing capacity and proven supply chain. We offer the most extensive and advanced range of flocculants, coagulants, xanthates, rheology modifiers, filter aids, defoamers and scale inhibitors with 23 production facilities across Europe, Australasia and the Americas.

We have a long-term strategy focused on innovation and investment to ensure we address our customer’s ever-changing needs and challenges.

We maintain a high level of R&D expenditure and investment to improve and expand our production facilities, polymer range, technology and service solutions.

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The Solution is Clear Solution is Clear Flodose: Optimise Reagent Costs &The Thickener Performance Real-time Matters

Issue Flodose: Optimise Reagent Costs & Thickener Performance Real-time Manual operator intervention was employed at the Bulga CHPP to monitor

Issue and control coagulant dosing. This necessitated high coagulant addition to

reduceoperator the levelintervention of supervision, overflow Manual was maintain employedthickener at the Bulga CHPP clarity and availability. toplant monitor and control coagulant dosing. This necessitated high coagulant addition to reduce the level of supervision, maintain In addition to increasing treatment costs, insufficient chemical dosing thickener overflow clarity and plant availability. control may decrease settling efficiency, overflow clarity and underflow This results intreatment reduced productivity and increased In density. addition to increasing costs, insufficient chemical treatment costs. dosing control may decrease settling efficiency, overflow clarity and underflow density. This results in reduced productivity and Solution increased treatment costs.

SNF worked closely with Bulga operations to develop an Solution automated coagulant control system in the existing Flodose.

SNF worked closely with operationsperiod to develop an Site trials were conducted over Bulga a three-month to assess automated coagulant the capability of Flodose to: control system in the existing Flodose.

• Automate monitoring and control dosing Site trials were conducted overofacoagulant three-month period to assess • Reduce thecoagulant capabilityconsumption of Flodose to: • Automate monitoring andand control of coagulant • Minimise operator supervision intervention and dosing • Reduce coagulant • Decrease downtime due consumption to coagulant related thickener issues. • Minimise operator supervision and intervention and • Decrease downtime due to coagulant related thickener issues.

The evaluations demonstrated SNF Flodose was able to reduce Theconsumption evaluations demonstrated Flodosedowntime was able to reduce coagulant by 33%, whilstSNF reducing and coagulant consumption bythickener 33%, whilst reducing downtime and maintaining overflow clarity and performance with maintaining overflow clarity and thickener performance with no no operator intervention. operator intervention.

Results Results

“Implementation of the coagulation control “Implementation of the coagulation control resulted consistentautomated automated turbidity hashas resulted ininconsistent turbidity The controller has greatly control.control.

The controller has greatly improved improved turbidity control, being able to turbidity control, being able to maintain maintainclarity overflow and minimise overflow andclarity minimise coagulant dose coagulant dose rates. Bulga CHPP has seen rates.

Bulga CHPP has seen a marked reduction a marked reduction in usage, particularly in usage, particularly through the reduction of through the reduction of overdosing events overdosing events and operator interventions.” and operator interventions.”

Michael Saxby, Process Engineer Michael Saxby, Process Engineer

Operational Benefits Benefits Operational

Reduced operator supervision by > 90% Reduced operator supervision by > 90% Improved thickener operational Improved operational reliability reliabilitythickener and stability and stability Improved overflow clarity and underflowoverflow density clarity consistency Improved and underflow

Provideconsistency consistent information to density enhance operational decisions Provide consistent information enhance Provides a timely response to to rapid operational changes in decisions feed characteristics Provides a timely response to rapid changes in feed characteristics SNF (Australia) Pty Ltd ●

SNF (Australia) Pty Ltd

●

Economic Benefits Economic Benefits

Environmental Benefits Environmental Benefits

Coagulant dosage reduced by 33% Improved water recovery Coagulant dosage reduced by 33% Improved water recovery Increased plant throughput Reduced water usage from local Increased plant throughput Reduced water usage from local environment environment Reduced downtime/plant upsets Lower energy consumption Reduced downtime/plant upsets Lower energy consumption Reduced pumping costs Reduced pumping costs

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www.snf.com.au

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snf@snf.com.au

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Ok TEDI MINING

OPERATIONS OVERVIEW

United Fasteners

The operations at OTML consist of the following:

Welcome to United Fasteners, Australia’s largest independent distributor of fastening products and industrial supplies.

• A single large-scale open-cut mine.

• A concentrator consisting of two Semi-Autogenous Grinding and Ball milling lines followed by conventional flotation circuits to produce a copper-gold concentrate.

• A Tailings Pyrite Plant (TPP) to separate iron sulphides from the concentrator tailings.

• A pipeline to transport pyrite concentrate from the TPP to designated burial pits below the water table and within the tailings sand stockpiles at Bige.

• A pipeline to transport the copper gold concentrate to the port of Kiunga.

Over the years we have established ourselves as a market leader and are recognised for exceptional service, timely delivery, competitiveness, and total solutions. For the past 20 years we have been leading specialists servicing the fastener industry. We’re a proud supplier to OTML.

• Filtration plant concentrate stockpile and barge loading facilities at Kiunga.

• 75k+ Product SKUs

• Hydro-electric power plants at Ok Menga and Yuk Creek which supply the majority of power for the mining and processing operations.

• 100% Australian owned

• A thermal power generation facility in Tabubil which supplements the hydropower plant.

• Riverine transportation of the sand tailings and much of the waste rock from the mine into the Ok Tedi River.

• A dredging operation in a section of the Ok Tedi River at Bige to remove the sediments and deposit them in engineered stockpiles.

with the community relations team to provide environmental information for the stakeholder consultation.

The resultant heightening of the riverbed over many years has seen an increase in the duration of overbank floodplain inundation.

This flooding resulted in the conversion of parts of the forested floodplain to grassed floodplain in the lower Ok Tedi and the upper reaches of the Middle Fly River system.

DIEBACK Vegetation dieback is the result of a substantial build-up of sand in the river channels and during high river flows, over bank deposition of sediments and water floods within the forest in the river’s low-lying floodplains.

In addition, communities across the riverbank have had their gardens taken 52 | APAC Outlook issue 49

away because of overbank flooding and access to forest resources due to dieback. The extent of forest dieback and changes to grassland is checked every year and reported to the state in the annual report.

DREDGING To help control flooding and dieback, OTML has dredged around 370 metric-tonnes (Mt) of sand from the river at Bige since 1998. The dredging operation removes around 85 percent of the sand that reaches the Bige site located in the lower Ok Tedi preventing it from travelling further downstream. Around 17 metrictonnes per annum (Mtpa) of sand is removed from the river every year and placed in engineered stockpiles on the East and West Banks of the Ok Tedi River.

• 11 Branches nationwide • 250+ Technical experts Our Products We offer over 75,000 product SKUs, sourced from over 500 trusted suppliers. Our range includes: fasteners & fixings, abrasives, cutting tools, sealants, adhesives, lubricants, hand tools, safety, construction chemicals, materials handling, petrochemical and special manufacture.

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FASTENERS & FIXINGS I ABRASIVES I CUTTING I SEALANTS I ADHESIVES I LUBRICANTS I TOOLS I SAFETY I PETROCHEMICAL I SPECIAL MANUFACTURE

Ok TEDI MINING

PACIFIC HYDROCARBON SOLUTIONS Viva Energy is proud to be a provider to Ok Tedi for more than 20 years.

Pacific Hydrocarbon Solutions is a subsidiary company of Viva Energy incorporated in Papua New Guinea.

Pacific Hydrocarbon Solutions consults with customers to help optimise and overcome the various challenges associated with using oil, grease, coolants, detergents and fuel.

Fuel filters blocking in mining equipment and fuel lines was a concern in Ok Tedi’s operations. The solution was a fuel quality improvement project, delivering fuel filters, improved fuel custody processes and upskilling site staff with fuel management training developed by Pacific Hydrocarbon Solutions. Norman Jackson, Ok Tedi Superintendent Fuel Supply said “There has been a positive performance benefit from improvements in fuel custody, fuel quality and the personal development of the team”.

The dredging operation at Bige will continue to the end of mine life and this will assist in minimising future physical impacts. The dredging programme has been successful with the bed level of the Lower Ok Tedi dropping since the commencement of dredging and forest dieback declining.

SULPHIDE SEPARATION OTML is the only large copper mine globally to separate sulphides from the tailings before the tailings discharge. The residue material following metal product removal is re-treated in the separate Tailings Pyrite Plant flotation plant to extract pyrite prior to disposal.

The pyrite slurry is piped to storage pits on the West Bank of the Ok Tedi 54 | APAC Outlook issue 49

River at Bige where it is permanently stored in engineered structures under water with a non-acid forming sediment cover system in order to prevent the oxidation of the sulphides and formation of acid. Once full, the pits are capped with Non-Acid Forming sands dredged from the river as part of the normal sand removal process.

TAILINGS DISPOSAL After sulphide recovery from the tailings, the remaining barren sands are disposed of by pumping the material from the processing plant through a pipeline located within the Moscow Tunnel for discharge into tributaries of the Ok Tedi River and eventually into the Fly River.

Solutions provided range from training, consulting, equipment supply, inspections, audits and infield service. “Pacific Hydrocarbon Solutions always make sure they understand the needs of our business, whether big or small, and then work with us to develop technical solutions that constantly add value to operations” Cameron MacGregor, Manager Supply Ok Tedi.

Examples of how we have assisted customers include: • Hydrocarbon training in safe and clean practices • Grease injector inspections for fixed and mobile plant, optimising grease flow and replacing grease injectors • Managing infrastructure projects such as fuel and lubricant management systems, storage tanks, automatic lubricators, filters and dispensing equipment Pacific Hydrocarbon Solutions can be contacted at solutions@vivaenergy.com.au

solutions@vivaenergy.com.au

Solutions to help Ok Tedi keep moving We are proud to have worked with Ok Tedi for more than 20 years and have extensive experience in supporting customers in PNG with a broad range of hydrocarbon related products, services and projects.

Products such as oil, grease, detergents, coolants and fuel are all critical fluids for any mine site. They need to be managed, stored, dispensed and used carefully to prevent problems that can affect the reliability, availability and efficiency of equipment and an entire operation.

Pacific Hydrocarbon Solutions not only helps solve these problems for customers, we also train and mentor staff to build capability within the site to help ensure standards are maintained and to deal with future problems.

Solutions are designed collaboratively with a site to meet their requirements.

Examples include: • •

• •

Training in safe and clean hydrocarbon handling Managing infrastructure projects such as fuel and lubricant management systems, storage tanks, filters and dispensing equipment Mill open gear and excavator grease inspections and maintenance Oil and fluid analysis equipment, training and interpretation

Contact our team to learn more at solutions@vivaenergy.com.au

Ok TEDI MINING

W&W Construction W & W Construction Ltd started as a Land Owner Company benefitting from the spin off business created

by OTML’s Copper Production in Tabubil, Western Province, Papua New Guinea. We are one of first local contractors registered in the area in 1992 to partner with Ok Tedi Mining Limited.

Today W&W Construction Limited takes on the role as one of the main contractor for small, medium and major industrial and commercial projects in Papua New Guinea.

We have successfully completed projects with Major Corporations such as Exxon Mobil, Atlas Steel & Aus Aid. In 2020 we have added the Bank of South Pacific Ltd to our list of corporate clientele with projects under their Home Ownership Scheme.

Our Project Management and Execution Philosophy are:

The tailings are mobilised as a result of the fast-flowing streams and held in suspension until the river profile begins to flatten out at Bige, upstream of the junction within the Fly River.

As the stream velocity slows over a dredged slot in the riverbed, most of the tailings, particularly the coarser particles settle out into the slot. A dredge then pumps the sediments ashore for hydraulic placement into long-term engineered storage stockpiles located on the east and west banks of the Ok Tedi River at Bige.

The reduction in the quantity of pyrite materials flowing down the river has substantially reduced the acid rock drainage risk throughout the river system.

ACID ROCK DRAINING MITIGATION Ok Tedi mine is the only large copper mine in the world to separate sulphides from the tailings before the tailings discharge. The risk of acid rock drainage identified before 2008 because of high sulphur levels and 56 | APAC Outlook issue 49

insufficient neutralising capacity in the sediments is now managed with the implementation of the Mine Waste Tailings Project (MWTP).

Since 2008, pyrite and other sulphide minerals are removed from tailings and acid-neutralising limestone added to the mill feed at the primary crusher. The finely ground limestone responds quicker in order to neutralise acidity and is transported with the tailings down the river system. Further, limestone is added to the waste rock dumps to provide neutralising capacity.

COMMUNITY MINE CONTINUATION AGREEMENT An integrated compensation and development package are provided to the communities for their economic and social benefit. This is both a moral and legal obligation that OTML must meet, as enforced by legislation passed by the National Government of Papua New Guinea in November 2001.

The Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA) defines the

• Create detailed schedule and resource plan to meet client’s project objectives.

• Communicate clearly with all project stakeholders • Track project progress and fine – tune deviations • Supervise closely on quality of work done • Complete and commission the project on time.

We take pride in our delivery so our clients can always be assured that only the most experienced and qualified people are serving them, all the time.

Our company is driven by Qualified Technical Experts in the field of Civil, Building & Electrical Engineering.

Collectively they accumulate more than 40 years of work experience in the Industry.

Our Main Objective as a Land Owner company is to sustain the business and the interest of the Landowners (Shareholders) we have been supporting in the last 28 years through our partnership with OTML after Mine Closure.

We have set up an agricultural business and also an extended arm of our civil & electrical operations to other parts of the country. This is our “Life after the Mine” vision.

W & W CONSTRUCTIONS LIMITED P.O. Box 25, Tabubil, Western Province, Papua New Guinea T: +675 (0) 649 9493 F: +675 (0) 649 9571 E: wilson.wakpi@wwcons.com.pg | hradmin@wwcons.com.pg

Ok TEDI MINING

Westpac Westpac PNG has been supporting people and communities surrounding the mining township of Tabubil in Western Province to gain better access to financial services as part of its community service.

The bank through its Tabubil Branch has partnered with Ok Tedi Mining Limited’s (OTML) Community Relationship Department in the roll out of the National Identity project to more than 35,000 people in the mining impacted communities in Tabubil and Kiunga.

Westpac PNG Managing Director Brett Hooker says, the NID cards are a mandatory requirement by the government that all citizens must have in order to have access to important services offered by the government and corporate entities including banks.

“The NID and Birth Certificate is a basic requirement for account opening processes and this partnership will assist locals to have access to these key documents. This initiative will enable a smooth, on boarding process for customers who wish to open a savings account with Westpac or another bank.”

The Westpac Tabubil Branch was established in the 1980s in Kiunga on the ground floor of a Steamships property before relocating to Tabubil when the mining township was developed.

cash compensation, investment and development payments that OTML makes to the 158 communities impacted by the mining operations in return for the license to continue operating the mine until 2025. The communities are grouped into nine regions of over 147,000 people. The nine CMCA regions extend from the mine to the South Fly. These are: Mine Villages, Highway, North Ok Tedi, Lower Ok Tedi, Middle Fly, Suki Fly Gogo, Manawete, Kiwaba and Dudi.

A total of 36 elected community members consist of the CMCA Working Group and attend the delegates meeting along with the government representatives, OTML, churches, women and youth organisations and NGOs. Each region is represented by four community members, including at least one woman. The mine continuation 58 | APAC Outlook issue 49

funding is seen by the CMCA Working Group members as a lever for change leading to a self-supporting sustainable future without OTML.

CMCA AND MINE VILLAGES UPDATES The Community Relations Department (CRD) conducts biennial and annual population and family listing updates for the nine CMCA Trust regions including the six mine villages. The cash payments to the beneficiaries are calculated based on the population of respective regions and directly disbursed to family accounts via the online banking system.

The branch has been supporting communities with financial literacy programs as part of financial inclusion prior to the pandemic reaching Western province.

“There has been an increase in new to bank on boarding after the NID project was initiated.”

“Our customers now have a Westpac HandyCard and are able to access funds through our automated teller machines, Westpac POS and at our Instore Merchant facility at Star Mountain, Mr Hooker said.

Westpac has always maintained a portfolio of accounts for mining communities, employees of OTML, government and business houses and stands committed to maintain community relationships through OTML with the communities.

PEOPLE AND CAPABILITY Mark Stone is the General Manager of People and Capability at Ok Tedi. With a strong family connection to mining,

www.westpac.com.pg

Ok TEDI MINING

there wasn’t a question over which direction his career would take. “I’ve been in the mining industry since I left school and my family have always been involved in mining,” he explains.

“My father was involved since he was a kid, his father was too and so was my brother, so it was those family roots that got me started.

“I started work in Newcastle which is an Australian coal mining centre. I then worked in several places across Australia, but I have always had an ambition to work overseas so I spent a good deal of time across the Americas and also a bit of time in Africa as well. But that’s what I love doing. Mining has a very special feel and culture to it and people are always wonderful wherever you go in this industry. Mining is in my blood.”

And the pull of exciting new projects is hard to resist for Stone.

Reflecting on how his journey took him to Papua New Guinea and Ok Tedi in the first place, he jokes he was relaxing in Panama, where he was then based, when the call came. “I was actually living on the other side of the world,” he recalls. “I had finished a project in South America, and I was 60 | APAC Outlook issue 49

contacted to ask if I was interested in applying for the position at Ok Tedi.

Back in my early days working at BHP, I came up to PNG a long time ago, so I had a little bit of an insight into the company which stood me in good stead.”

To Stone, from the outside looking in, he could see the true potential of what the country could be. “PNG has great opportunities and capabilities, and there are fantastic people here,” he affirms. “Fortunately, my interview

went well, and they felt I was a good fit and here I am, three years later.”

And it was in those three years that the world changed dramatically from the one when Stone began working at Ok Tedi in August 2018. He admits that, as a result of the pandemic, the space is both exciting and challenging in equal measure. “It’s challenging because the whole world economy is obviously turning and in some respects that is quite positive because it has pushed the metal prices up but

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W: www.appliedau.com.au E: au-export@appliedau.com P: +61-7-3853-1900

Optibelt is making waves with its Red Power 3 v-belt Low stretch and maintenance free, Optibelt’s Red Power 3 brings a host of benefits over standard v-belt drives.

Crucially, Red Power 3 is designed so that once correctly tensioned the first time, they don’t require re-tensioning again, a valuable saver of time and money. A major mining client called on Optibelt to fit Red Power 3 belts to an agitator drive on the flotation circuit at a large copper-gold mine in Australia. The client was so impressed with the performance that it updated its bill of materials to include Red Power 3 as its required v-belt for agitators on its flotation circuit.

Red Power 3 is perfectly suited to these agitators because they can transmit the required power and will also not need to be re-tensioned for the life of the drive. No other wrapped v-belt on the market has the capability of one-shot tension and installation and become a ‘fit-and-forget’ drive.

Red Power 3 belts use a high-modulus polyester tension cord that does not continually stretch over time, which is what gives it its ability to hold tension. In this capacity, it even goes beyond similarly strong aramid tension cord v-belts, including Optibelt’s own aramid tension cord Blue Power v-belts, which, while capable of higher overall power ratings than Red Power 3, was not the beneficial belt for the flotation cell drives in this instance.

Other aramid (Kevlar®) cord v-belts will work in this drive but will not have the advantages of the Red Power 3.

In agitator applications, the Red Power 3’s power rating was capable of transmitting the required power while the Blue Power led to overdesign and was subsequently not as efficient for this application as it created higher shaft loads on the bearings. Use of Red Power 3 v-belts can increase the mean time between repair on belt-driven applications considerably, compounding cost savings and reduced downtime for the operator. Red Power 3 v-belts offer S=C Plus ‘Set Constant’ length tolerances — ±2mm for belts under 5000mm and ±6mm for belts under 10,000mm — resulting in the tightest tolerance v-belt on the market.

For point of comparison, a typical DIN/ ISO maximum permitted length is 1% the nominal length. Blue Power and other aramid cord v-belts do not have the same narrow length tolerance as Red Power 3 and are not match free.

They are required to be used in sets and this can have a negative effect on the levels of inventory required. It also provides another challenge for fitters insuring they have v-belts from the same match set prior to installation.

Red Power 3 is a proven performer in a long line of engineering excellence from Optibelt and the rest of the company are proud of the benefits it is delivering to clients.

Ok TEDI MINING

ABOUT MARK STONE Mark holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Human Resources from the University of Newcastle, Australia. He is also a professional member of the Australian Human Resources Institute.

Mark has over 30 years of international experience in senior human resources roles in the mining industry, from the perspective of site based and corporate positions. His responsibilities have included all aspects of human resources in Australia, Africa and North and South America.

He is very passionate about unlocking the potential of employees through engagement and teamwork.

it’s all very unreliable because you don’t know when that could change again,” explains Stone. “The difficulty is ensuring we’re competitive no matter the price environment. My role is to ensure the people are behind that challenge and are making a difference.

“At Ok Tedi, we’ve set ourselves a vision of where we’d like to be over the next three to five years and people are a big part of that. This is what I do, what I love and what I get excited about.”

Ok Tedi places considerable emphasis on being regarded as the only PNG-owned mining company, something that Stone believes is hugely important because it is about working for the country in which it operates. “We’re not the only PNG mining company but we’re the only PNG-owned one and that is special,” he believes. “Giving back to PNG drives the way we operate the 62 | APAC Outlook issue 49

company because we have a very clear vision that our job is to create dividends for the benefit of PNG. For me, that’s a huge source of pride.”

As a result of Ok Tedi’s arduous location, things can go wrong.

However, it is the workforce’s unity and dedication that shines through, according to Stone. “Our culture is spectacular,” he beams. “It’s a challenging location and we have all sorts of things that could go wrong, such as earthquakes. We are very dependent on the river for our product to go out and supplies to come in. The river is very dependent on rainfall and we have dry spells where that stops happening. There are plenty of challenges in front of us, the big one being COVID-19, but there is something about the workforce because when they focus on a challenge, everyone works together and that is special.”

Indeed, COVID-19 has disrupted

Mark Stone, General Manager of People and Capability at Ok Tedi

THE RELIABILITY PARTNER TO OK TEDI E: au-export@appliedau.com P: +61-7-3853-1900

Reduce downtime without large capital investments Predict, plan and optimize horizontal grinding mill performance Monitoring and reliability services that help reduce unplanned stops For many producers in hard rock mining, the horizontal grinding mill is the most critical asset, and unplanned outages have a major impact on uptime and the cost of operations.

Increase availability for the mill by reducing the risk of failures and unplanned stops to improve KPIs – extending the mean time between failures is a sure way to reduce the cost per ton.

Now, through SKF’s new pay-for-performance business model, you can achieve this on the operating budget rather than the capital investment budget.

NEED TO TO RE-TENSION YOUR O NO NEED NO TO NEED RE-TENSION RE-TENSION YOUR YOUR FLOATATION CELLS FOR 24 MONTHS OATATION CELLS FOR 24FOR MONTHS FLOATATION CELLS 24 MONTHS

E sales@optibelt.com.au | P 03 8791 2700 | www.optibelt.com s@optibelt.com.au E sales@optibelt.com.au | P 03 8791| 2700 P 03 8791 | www.optibelt.com 2700 | www.optibelt.com

© OPTIBELT GMBH, GERMANY

W: appliedau.com.au

Ok TEDI MINING

APAC Outlook: What, for you, differentiates Ok Tedi Mining from other companies operating within the same industries as yourselves?

Mark Stone, General Manager of People and Capability at Ok Tedi: “OTML is 100 percent PNG owned, so all the dividends distributed go to the benefit of the population of the country through the shares owned by the state and to the mine landowners through their share ownership.

This is a unique situation and a source of pride for all employees.

“We are also a single operation mining company, so the continuity and efficiency of that operation is critical to the company’s wellbeing. We do not depend on other operations to bolster production if there is an interruption.

“The most important feature is the resilience of the Ok Tedi workforce. Through our creed of ‘One Team, Wan Pasin’ we continue to demonstrate our ability to face and overcome the many challenges that come our way.”

64 | APAC Outlook issue 49

companies in all industries across the world. Ok Tedi understood the magnitude of the pandemic from the onset and quickly established an incident management planning team to mitigate against the virus. Initially, this worked well, however, in August 2020, the company was dealt a blow.

“We had to shut down our operations for six weeks,” says Stone. “We had our first positive case and very quickly this spread to being around 180 cases company-wide. This led to us making permanent changes upon restarting operations.”

And those permanent changes involved changing the roster to provide a longer rotation so that personnel travel in and out of site fewer times per year. “As COVID is going to be with us for a while, we formed a Business Continuity department and their role is to continuously monitor the global, national and local situation and check whether the measures we have in

AMC Consultants Strategic mining advice creates long-term value Since 1997, global mining consultancy AMC Consultants has supported Ok Tedi with everything from resource evaluation, geotechnical engineering, pit design, to strategic planning, and optimization. AMC has been a cornerstone for Scoping and Feasibility Studies that have added 100’s of millions of dollars of value. AMC’s advice has helped Ok Tedi optimize the mine, extend the mine life, and make economic and strategic assessments to help keep it mining.

At this pivotal time for Ok Tedi, management is not leaving anything to chance. By engaging AMC, Ok Tedi is crafting the next chapter of this mine.

At present, AMC is working with Ok Tedi on satellite deposits, helping target helicopter-supported drilling programs to explore new orebodies and determine possible mining options and their potential value.

www.amcconsultants.com

MINING

THE RELIABILITY PARTNER TO OK TEDI W: appliedau.com.au

E: au-export@appliedau.com P: +61-7-3853-1900

APPLIED is the Asset Reliability Improvement partner to OK TEDI and other mines in the region. We deliver contract supplies, on-site consultations, technical product support and training.

We are a global multiple brand distributor which allows us to support cross-platform improvement projects in areas such as: • • • • • • • • • •

Online condition monitoring and dashboarding Maintenance-free V-belt drive systems Fixed and Mobile plant bearing assemblies Automated Lubrication systems Depth Media and Rare Earth Magnetic filtration systems Fluid Power systems Conveyor, Mill and Pump drive assemblies Gasket and Sealing solutions Heavy Duty Ceramic Wearing Compounds Warehousing Solutions and Active Rust Prevention Systems

We Are All Things Industrial®... We Are Applied

In an unpredictable industry like mining, having a solid advisor such as AMC Consultants has been a significant asset to us at OK Tedi. AMC’s long history with our operation, deep knowledge and understanding of our challenges and opportunities, and breadth and depth of capabilities have consistently helped us achieve and even exceed our goals. We would not hesitate to recommend AMC to other operators looking for a trustworthy advisor for the life of their mine. For us, every dollar spent with AMC has more than paid for itself.

— Musje Werror, OK Tedi CEO

“

“

www.amcconsultants.com

APAC Outlook issue 49 | 65

Ok TEDI MINING

Beyond the Numbers Beyond the Numbers (BtN) is a professional provider of leadership development and training services to the mining and resources industries.

BtN understands that not all companies have the same needs when developing leaders. That is why we don’t offer off-the-shelf programs. Instead, we customise our training around the requirements of your organisation to optimise the learning experience.

BtN is made up of professionals who bring extensive international experience, skills, training, and enthusiasm to everything they do.

BtN is partnering with OTML to provide: • Leadership Development & Training • Supervisor Training • Team Building

www.beyondthenumbers.com.au

place are the right ones and make recommendations,” explains Stone.

“This served us well until the end of 2020. However, in January and February, we did start to see a rise in positive cases so we tightened up our measures again.”

And now?

“We’ve survived very well,” he notes. “We had that six-week shutdown but the metal prices helped us out at the end of the year, so we were down on production but financially as a business, we achieved what we set out to do.”

Stone is quick to praise the reaction of his team in the face of an unprecedented situation. He acknowledges that while following measures has had its trials and tribulations, his team has worked well together. “We use this term ‘one team, one culture’ and when we face these challenges, we face them together,” he says. “People obviously didn’t want to be tied 66 | APAC Outlook issue 49

down and be restricted with face masks, but they got on with it and understood the importance of do it.

“This even extended to placing a ban on some traditions. There is a custom in Western Province where we operate that at the end of a handshake, you click your fingers with the other person as you separate your hands. We had to stop that because it’s another opportunity for transmission. I love that myself so I hate the fact that we can’t do it, but we have no choice. We, like everyone else in the world, are suffering from COVID-19 fatigue and want our vaccines in order to return to a more normal life but in the meantime we continue to follow the guidance.”

However, despite COVID’s unwelcome disruption, working in PNG offers a host of benefits.

Stone is full of praise for the lifestyle that working at Ok Tedi brings.

“In PNG, there is a solid mining industry and there are only a few

CCR Hose & Fittings CCR Hose and Fittings assist mining companies with reducing maintenance costs and assist in implementing the most up to date preventive maintenance methodology to the mining industry.

CCR provides customised solutions to all your hydraulic hose and fittings requirements, providing mine sites with full support, OEM replacements, preventive maintenance programs, hose manufacturing workshops, quality products, full-time onsite preventive maintenance hose technicians and state of the art RFID technology with hose tracking and monitoring software.

This has proven to reduce machine downtime by 50% due to hydraulic hose failure.

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MINING

Beyond the Numbers is proud to partner with Ok Tedi Mining Limited Transforming the future by developing leaders today - LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT - SUPERVISOR TRAINING - TEAM BUILDING Phone +61 466 540041 www.beyondthenumbers.com.au

Working with quality partners is critical to success. Gates and CCR Hose and Fittings have joined forces to provide customers with an innovative solution to maintain heavy mining equipment hydraulic hose assemblies on site.

CCR Hose and Fittings a leader in the mining industry and has been supplying quality hose and services to domestic and international mining operations. CCR’s aim is to maximise asset value, lower production costs through CCR’s cutting edge RFID hose tracking technology, preventive maintenance programs and offer onsite training for your team’s long term success. CCR are delivering up-to 96% planned maintenance on mine sites that they service. CCR are assisting with long term job prospects and investing into the training, development and upskilling of the local community of Papua New Guinea.

www.ccrhf.com.au | sales@ccrhf.com.au

APAC Outlook issue 49 | 67

Ok TEDI MINING

Fimali Ltd. Fimali Ltd is a PNG company suppling globally engineered & manufactured industrial & process equipment.

Our services range from Industrial Sales & Supply of Equipment and Associated Spares through to Field & Workshop Service Activities such as Project Supervision, Product Installation & Commissioning, Equipment Repair and Complete Aftermarket Rebuilds of OEM equipment.

Fimali Engineers have for over 20 years provided lasting solutions across a range of Engineered products for fluids ranging from high temperature/pressure acidic slurries and petroleum products to water, sewage and air - that include most types of rotating, valving and product transfer equipment as well as instrumentation and systems control.

Fimali Workshop and Technical personnel are well trained and have the expertise to assist in most aspects of your maintenance requirements.

www.fimali.com.pg

APAC Outlook: Can you talk us through your COVID-19 approach from a people’s point of view? big players, us being one of them.

Being a PNG-owned company, this gives us a bit of a boost and people see the advantages in working with a company that is owned by the country. We make sure our remuneration packages are attractive so that people feel like they are being properly rewarded. The lifestyle here is good so people are able to live and work in comfortable conditions.

We focus on our culture and the development of people. Today, I’m confident that we’re the mining industry employer of choice.”

But despite salary and reputation being key reasons for recruitment, training and development is another important pillar of keeping employees effective and motivated. Ultimately, Stone believes that training is at 68 | APAC Outlook issue 49

Mark Stone, General Manager of People and Capability at Ok Tedi: “It’s a huge challenge and it’s not very often that you have a need to battle against a global pandemic. We developed and defined incident management plans which meant our team came together and did lots of planning which was centred around creating safety bubbles. We have three key operational sites, and this meant we had to control who was coming in and out.

“We implemented testing on site where workers had to return a negative result in order to come in and this was very successful. All the hygiene factors were implemented, and this served us well until August where we had our first positive case within the organisation. Based on the wellbeing of our people, we shut our operations down. This one case led to around 180 cases, but we got on top of it and six weeks later, we got ourselves back into operation.”

the heart of success and personal growth, stressing that great strides have been made to improve and aid development in recent years.

“It’s key to attraction and retention, as well as to people development,”

he says. “We have a training centre that we’ve revitalised in recent years.

It’s now called the “Dr Jacob Weiss Training Centre.” Dr Weiss was one of our late directors and is a very renowned person within the country,

MINING

Fimali Ltd is a PNG company suppling globally engineered & manufactured industrial & process equipment.

Providing lasting solutions across a range of products including most types of rotating equipment, valving and product transfer as well as instrumentation and systems control.

Our four main areas of expertise: Rotating Equipment Pumps, Motors, Compressors, Turbines, Mechanical Seals, Gearboxes – Supply & Install

Our services range from Industrial Sales & Supply of Equipment and Spares through to Field Service, Project Supervision & Commissioning Works and Complete Aftermarket Rebuilds of OEM equipment.

Valving Control, Severe Service, Isolation, Safety Relief, High/Low Temp, Actuated, Stock Valves, Hydraulic Hoses Instrumentation Pressure/Temperature/Flow/pH – Gauges/Switches/ Transmitters, Pneumatics, Signal conversion/isolation, Laboratory, Calibration

Fimali Workshop and Technical personnel are well trained and have the expertise to assist in most aspects of your maintenance requirements.

Water supply, treatment and wastewater sanitation systems.

sales@fimali.com.pg | (675) 422 3658 | www.fimali.com.pg

GMJ is an Australian manufacturer with over 35 years experience in the design and manufacturing of both uninsulated and insulated mobile elevated work platforms. GMJ is also the distributor for Prinoth all-terrain tracked vehicles.

Featuring: • Ultra-low ground pressure with zero turn radius for maximum mobility, allowing access to hard-to-reach areas over difficult terrain • Variety of payload capacities with an engineered truck-style chassis for easy plant installation and interfacing • All-weather operation, designed to operate in the harshest conditions

“Prinoth Panther T8 / GMJ LL18.650 MEWP”

GMJ Equipment Pty Ltd 32-34 Quality Drive, Dandenong South, Vic 3175 Australia office@gmj.com.au | (+613) 9706 4550 | www.gmj.com.au

APAC Outlook issue 49 | 69

Ok TEDI MINING

GPA GPA is currently providing project engineering support at Ok Tedi, contributing to the extension of the life-of-mine.

Projects supported include cyclone upgrade/replacements, replacing mill feed chutes, upgrading cyclone feed pumps, refurbishing the lime dust extraction system and upgrading plant water supply pumps.

GPA’s role has been to quantify project justifications, prepare feasibility reports, cost estimates, schedules, risk registers and options studies. GPA has also supported projects in the engineering and construction stages, with on-site supervision and coordination, and has completed a 3rd party review of the Crusher Replacement Project.

gpaeng.com.au

so we thought it fitting to name it after him. Through that centre, we offer a wide range of traineeships for young people as well as on-going training for the workforce. The training centre not only addresses skill gaps in the workforce but provide services to operations as part of the training process.”

Upon the appointment of Musje Werror as Managing Director and CEO, Stone, like all members of leadership, sat down with Werror to discuss their vision for Ok Tedi.

This led to the formation of Ok Tedi’s vision for the next few years. By the end of 2023, all of the company’s management positions will be filled by national employees; while by the end of 2025, all its executive positions will be filled by national employees.

At the centre of making this ambition a reality is training and development, which demonstrates the importance of the programmes the company offers.

70 | APAC Outlook issue 49

“Our leadership development programme is also vital,” adds Stone. “In 2019, we launched our first programme which was aimed at our frontline supervisors to equip them with the skills they need to lead their teams. And we’re just launching our second leadership programme, which is targeted at the more senior staff which can help them at their current role as well as preparing them to move up to the next level.”

With a considerable amount of change in the last few years, Ok Tedi doesn’t rest on its laurels and isn’t content to stand still. Reflecting on a particularly influential initiative in the recent past, Stone believes there is one that sticks out the most from a business perspective.

“In 2015, we were a very high cost operation and as a result of a dry weather event, operations shut down for around six months,” he explains.

“There was a new Managing Director at the time, so it was a fresh start and

Hevilift HEVILIFT is a leader in aviation services across the region. We provide safe and reliable air transport for personnel and equipment.

Hevilift is a 100% PNG company, with resource ownership. We are proud to be a stakeholder with OTML. Our advanced fleet is operated by a safety driven team who are highly experienced. They are backed by management professionals, maintenance and support personnel, with an extensive combined knowledge of aviation.

We are committed to corporate best practice and have company wide systems in place to: • ensure good governance, including CSR • underline fair and ethical operation • minimise our environmental impact • promote diversity and inclusion across our teams.

www.hevilift.com

MINING

Consult Engineer Deliver

Ideas Realised

Specialist Consulting and Engineering for Mining and Minerals Processing • Brownfield Specialists • Process Optimisation and Control • Materials Handling, Pyrometallurgy, Hydrometallurgy, Tailings and Water • Structural, Civil and Non Process Infrastructure Providing engineering design from concept and feasibility, through to execution for over 30 years.

Oil and Gas | Renewables | Power Generation and Distribution | Fuels

Servicing Australia and the Pacific Region

gpaeng.com.au

+61 8299 8300 | enquiries@gpaeng.com.au

YOUR JOURNEY. OUR MISSION.

www.hevilift.com APAC Outlook issue 49 | 71

Ok TEDI MINING

JLE Congratulations to OTML on your successes. JLE have had the privilege of working with OTML on the Crusher project, the Mine Workshop and continue to provide service personnel.

JLE have core expertise in Electrical Construction, Mechanical fabrication, specialist trades, Project Engineering, Health & Safety, QA/QC, Construction management and Mechanical/SMP supervision services.

JLE’s Electrical and Mechanical teams look forward to delivering value to your next project.

www.jle.co.nz

an opportunity to have a reset. We are now one of the lowest cost producers in the industry globally. This whole discipline around managing business, cost and driving improvement is a key part of who we now are. In terms of specific things, we’ve invested a lot of money over the past few years in renewing much of the infrastructure and equipment. The mine has been in operation for 36 years so some of the infrastructure is beginning to show its age and requires upgrading. An example is the new in-pit crusher.

“This was a major improvement because the previous crusher was in a pretty poor state and was also sitting on top of some high-grade ore. By building a new crusher in another location, we now not only have a modern reliable piece of plant, but also have access to that highgrade material that will make a huge difference to the business over the coming years.”

However, for Stone and his role, 72 | APAC Outlook issue 49

he affirms that the focus on people, culture and values within the company has been transformational.

“The company’s culture and approach to work is a major contributor to the company’s success,” explains Stone.

“We put together a team that we call the Pasin Ok Tedi Team, which was drawn from some of the ‘movers and shakers’ within the organisation. Their role is to help communicate to the workforce what it means to live our values through our daily decisions and actions and to provide feedback to the executive team on opportunities to continue to improve our culture.

This has had a huge impact on all of us feeling and operating as one team aligned towards a common set of goals. Unlocking the potential of people to work together toward a common goal is a huge piece of the puzzle.”

With the future in mind, Stone outlines four key pillars that he is focused on over the next few years.

Niugini Electrical Niugini Electrical has always honored the trust and condence of OMTL towards our company by always providing the best human resource we have available.

Since day one of the contract, our qualied and experienced High Voltage Terminators have been heavily involved in the Electrical and Instrumentation construction phase of the Crusher Replacement Project (CRP) while our additional personnel are assisting in othe on-going projects on OTML construction site.

T 472 4787 E sales@niuelec.com.pg E service@niuelec.com.pg

MINING

CONGRATULATIONS

Ok Tedi Mining Ltd JLE Electrical and Mechanical Contractors specialise in Industrial Process, Mining and Petrochemical sectors.

We offer Electrical Project & Services, and Mechanical fabrication & Maintenance capabilities with our professional team of local and international trades and management personnel.

We have proven expertise to safely deliver your construction projects and provide maintenance services to PNG, Australian and New Zealand Quality Assurance Standards throughout PNG and around the Pacific.

JLE offer highly trained professional staff; providing technical solutions and innovation for development & sustainability.

JLE PNG SINCE 2012

Mine Workshop - Structural, mechanical and electrical Mine Crusher Plant - Mechanical and electrical Fuel Storage facilities - Country wide electrical upgrades LNG drilling rigs - Structural, mechanical and electrical New Mine Oxygen Plant - Electrical construction Gold Mine Cyanide tanks and piping - Fabrication New fuel storage facility Civil - mechanical and electrical Gold Mine - Condensate Storage tank construction Refinery Shutdown - Heater piping changeout Gold Mine shutdowns - Mechanical and electrical resources

askjle@jle.co.nz AUS: 0061 7305 38508 NZ: 0064 9579 5220

Electrical & Solar Professionals

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS AND WHOLESALERS

Generator Sales & Service Switchboard Design & Manufacturing

CONTACT US

Solar Street Lights & Appliances

FOR ALL YOUR ELECTRICAL AND SOLAR NEEDS Phone: 472 4787 | Digicel: 7999 2600

Email: sales@niuelec.com.pg | service@niuelec.com.pg

APAC Outlook issue 49 | 73

Ok TEDI MINING These are: maintaining and building on the culture, a focus on national leadership, increasing gender diversity into the workforce and upgrading old systems.

“We have invested time in developing our people strategy because ultimately, people are at the heart of what we do,” explains Stone. “Firstly, we have to ensure that people remain focused on contributing to the Ok Tedi vision and buy into the culture. Secondly, it’s about developing national leaders to take up leadership roles. Being clear, we’re not kicking out expats but it’s about having nationals in leadership positions and having expats provide guidance and mentorship.”

However, Stone acknowledges there is still work to be done to improve gender diversity within his organisation. “At the moment, only around 11 percent of our workforce is female,” he says. “However, by the end of 2023, we want to double

74 | APAC Outlook issue 49

that. If the gender mix of the country is roughly 50/50, we should be doing better than our current mix.

This is a generational change and doesn’t happen overnight. With the assistance of our very active Ok Tedi Women’s Network (OWN) and by being very intentional about achieving it, we can make a difference in gender diversity.”

Finally, Ok Tedi is modernising its processes and undergoing a digital transformation. “We’ve been here a long time and some of our processes are a bit old-fashioned,” admits Stone.

“We’re upgrading all our systems and are just about to launch a new cloud-based HR platform which will streamline tasks, provide greater visibility and reduce the risk of losing previously paper-based information.”

Optimised Workforce OTML engaged Optimised Workforce, now Knowledge Vector, to develop training materials to upskill personnel who will be responsible for the new equipment installed during the CRP. Working alongside the CRP Operational Readiness Team, Optimised Workforce revealed the skills and knowledge requirements for maintaining and operating the new equipment, creating a workable training strategy and implementation plan.

Methodology was selected based on analysis of learner groups, technical data and job tasks, addressing key priorities to produce 10 different highquality packages including learning materials, trainer resources, training manuals and assessments.

INSIDE MARK STONE’S ROLE OTML attracts, develops and retains a highly engaged and skilled national workforce with a small number of

www.knowledgevector.com.au

MINING

Knowledge is power, knowledge shared is power multiplied

TECHNICAL WRITING AND IN-HOUSE COMMUNICATION Authoring, editing and illustrating services to ensure your operational documents have the tone and detail to work successfully in your business. We cover the full range of quality management system documents, including policies, procedures, work instructions and forms.

TRAINING DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT Specialising in technical content, we deliver end-to-end training solutions that improve bottom-line results. We work with your technical experts to create and implement training that is the best fit for your workforce.

T (+61) 438 971 079 | contact@knowledgevector.com.au www.knowledgevector.com.au

APAC Outlook issue 49 | 75

Ok TEDI MINING

Petro Industrial PETRO Industrial is a leading fullservice provider of Engineered Hydrocarbon storage tanks and dispensing solutions.

With a multitude of successful projects behind us, PETRO’s capabilities range from off the shelf solutions to tank farms and customized projects, we are the industry leader with clients across Australia, Middle East, Asia markets, and APAC. We can manage your project solely during the design, development, manufacturing, delivery and commissioning stages of the project cycle. This allows us to provide cost-effective turnkey solutions, fully customized to your specifications.

By professionals, for professionals

www.petroind.com

expatriates in key roles for a total of around 1,800 employees, operating through a mostly Fly In Fly Out (FIFO) operation. OTML strives to create a healthy and safe working environment, free from hostility, offensiveness, bullying, intimidation and harassment, racial vilification and any form of unlawful discrimination.

Ok Tedi achieves success through open and honest communications

FOUR KEY PILLARS FOR THE FUTURE 1. Maintaining and building on the culture 2. National Leadership 3. Increasing gender diversity 4. Upgrading old systems

76 | APAC Outlook issue 49

with employees about job goals and performance, the delivery of targeted skill development programmes, productive annual performance reviews and feedback as well as competitive individual and team-based performance-based remuneration and benefits.

Ok Tedi is a FIFO operation working 12-hour shifts, four weeks on by four weeks off, although the expatriate rotation is longer at the moment based on COVID-19 quarantine requirements. Some managers, superintendents and employees from the local area rent accommodation and live on site in Tabubil and Kiunga.

OTML respects the rights of workers to be represented by a union. The organisation has had a productive working relationship with union executive members and engage in regular consultation and communication to assist in the quick resolution of grievances and ensure workforce alignment.

Placements PNG Placements (PNG) Ltd is proud to share a long and rich history with Ok Tedi Mining Ltd. Placements very first contract award was by Bechtel MKI in 1987 for the supply of personnel for the construction of the Ok Tedi Mine in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea.

Due to a long history of operational performance our working relationship with OTML is one we still enjoy today through provision of recruitment, labour hire and logistical support in partnership with our local Joint Venture partners Hore Binkia Engineering Ltd.

info@placementspng.com.pg

MINING

THE LEADER IN

BULK FUEL

STORAGE & DISPENSING

SOLUTIONS www.petroind.com | +61 (0) 7 3204 9558

Placements (PNG) Ltd is a specialist agency offering temporary and permanent recruitment services to a select base of large domestic and international clients in the construction, mining, oil and gas sectors. Our clients depend on us for unrivalled quality professional services, tailored solutions to suit the diversity of their needs and successful long term experience with the Placements group having over thirty (30) years operating experience in Papua New Guinea, Australia, Indonesia, Solomon Islands, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mozambique and the Middle East. Our support of projects in remote locations is a strength that our network of company and Joint Venture offices is proud of. Our Joint Venture partner in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, Hore Binkia Engineering Limited (HBEL), commenced operation in 2005 and specializes in the provision of civil works, building and construction, trucking, plant and equipment hire, technical labour hire, security services, electrical works and refrigeration services.

Level 4 Cuthbertson House Cuthbertson Street Port Moresby NCD PAPUA NEW GUINEA

E: info@placementspng.com.pg T: 0011675 321 3600 F: 0011675 321 3788

APAC Outlook issue 49 | 77

Ok TEDI MINING

Process Plants International Process Plants International (PPi) is a company founded in 2010 by leading industry specialists from the fields of Chemical, Process and Maintenance Engineering.

The objective was to close a wide gap in the industry by offering a specialist single source service provider to global resource commodity organisations.

PPi is a single source service provider to companies operating, or intending to operate, technologically advanced processing plants. Our clients have engaged us in countries across the world; Australia, Russia, Laos, Madagascar, PNG, New Zealand, Turkey, USA, Finland and New Caledonia.

PPI Directors have had a long relationship with the Ok Tedi mine over 25 years. We are proud to be associated once again with the management and leadership team in support of the Crusher Relocation Project.

processplants.com.au

OTML has a proud record of nurturing and developing Papua New Guineans to progress their careers within the mining industry. This has enabled the localisation of many positions which are historically held by expats.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT WITHIN OK TEDI OTML recognises the need for the workforce to be flexible and have the capacity to change and apply new technology to maintain competitiveness. Ok Tedi provides an in-depth suite of training and development programmes commencing with site and departmental inductions through to externally delivered mining leadership courses. OTML aims to ensure that all employees are skilled and competent in the execution of their responsibilities and are offered the opportunity for personal growth consistent with business needs.

78 | APAC Outlook issue 49

Star Mountains Training Institute: OTML operates the Star Mountains Training Institute as a Registered Training Organisation in Tabubil through the Dr. Jacob Weiss Training Centre and is committed to the development of its most important resource – its employees. Since 1982, over 10,000 employees have completed education and training in some form. Programmes offered include Preferred Area Development, Graduate Development Scheme, Apprenticeships, employee on-thejob training both in-country and overseas.

Graduate Development Scheme: OTML sponsors a Graduate Development Scheme, in which new university graduates are chosen and offered positions in their respective study disciplines that features mentoring, on the job experience, further training and career possibilities. They undergo a two-year

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PPi operates in the maintenance of mining equipment throughout the upstream mining production process.

PPi has in-house capability for general maintenance, refurbishment and provision of OEM and non-OEM spare parts.

PPi works with clients on reliability improvement projects to maximise value from assets and minimise unplanned downtime and repair times.

PPi can maintain clients’ equipment either on site, with personnel embedded within a client organisation, or remotely at our workshop in Queensland.

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APAC Outlook issue 49 | 79

Ok TEDI MINING

Rexel For over 30 years, Rexel has proudly supported Ok Tedi in the supply of electrical consumables.

This longstanding partnership is a testament to Ok Tedi’s staff and vision, with Rexel providing strong support to site crews backed by sustainable and innovative products and solutions.

Rexel congratulates the excellent work completed to date by the Ok Tedi Development Foundation, which is aligned with Rexel’s core values and goals to strengthen its sustainable development commitments globally.

‘THESE CENTRES PROVIDE ACCESS TO SECONDARY STUDIES FOR HUNDREDS OF OUT OF SCHOOL YOUTH AND ADULTS, ALLOWING THEM TO UPGRADE THEIR QUALIFICATIONS TO MEET TERTIARY INSTITUTION ENROLMENT REQUIREMENTS’ training programme following which they are offered full-time roles depending on their performance and position availability.

Apprenticeship Trade Programme: OTML offers an apprenticeship trade programme to meet its needs and contribute to the national pool of tradespeople. OTML encourages its business partners to also develop apprentices. OTML’s apprenticeship programme has been awarded strong endorsements and recommendations through the Papua New Guinea National Apprentice and Trade Testing Board with whom the company works closely to ensure the quality of its apprenticeship programme.

Scholarships: There has been a considerable investment made through scholarships for mine community students to undertake secondary, post-secondary and tertiary courses in PNG and overseas in order to support priority skills needs within the Western Province.

80 | APAC Outlook issue 49

OTDF manages nine Flexible Open Distance Education centres operating in the Western Province.

These centres provide access to secondary studies for hundreds of out of school youth and adults, allowing them to upgrade their qualifications to meet tertiary institution enrolment requirements.

Education infrastructure is vital for delivering education outcomes. The OTML Tax Credit Scheme has recently developed building improvements for the Montfort Primary School, as well as the construction of Oksapmin High School for students in the North Fly and Telefomin Districts. In 2017, the Tabubil International School was reopened with support from OTML, the community and an innovative community business initiative, in order to offer alternative higher quality schooling for children from the local communities.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS The OTML Community Relations team is responsible for the planning, implementation and communication

Rexel looks forward to continuing its longstanding partnership and proactive service to Ok Tedi well into the future.

Starwest Starwest Constructions is a diversified mining and civil construction company with expertise in operating and maintaining a varied fleet of construction plant and equipment.

Starwest built and maintains the 150 km road from the river port of Kiunga to the administrative township of Tabubil and on to the Mine Site at Mt Fubilan. The road was built through rugged and remote terrain and has played a key part in bringing development to the Western Province which was previously one of the least developed provinces in PNG. Starwest is proud to have worked with Ok Tedi Mining for more than 30 years.

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Before Starwest has built, owns and operates a river port at Duobi, which is currently servicing National suppliers who ply the 1,200 kilometre route from the Nation’s capital, Port Moresby.

The port currently is not as high volume as the Ok Tedi port a few kilometres upstream at Kiunga, but Duobi has additional roll-onroll-off capability which is not available in Kiunga and is strategically positioned for expansion, particularly to service future oil & gas exploration and development opportunities in the region, including the Exxon Mobil backed P’nyang gas project.

After APAC Outlook issue 49 | 81

Ok TEDI MINING

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Visit us at: www.tristardesign.com of OTML community relations programmes, such as environmental impact mitigation, compensation payments, local employment and benefit sharing opportunities, infrastructure development and services for the Western Province.

The OTML Community Relations team manages the dissemination of information to the communities and undertake formal and informal consultation. Every year, the Community Relations team completes a number of annual formal community visits to each of the 158 villages in the nine CMCA regions, which covers an area of more than 98,000 kilometres.

Over 20,000 people attend these meetings every year. Meetings are held with both men and women as well as with women separately to discuss issues specific to women and children. Formal meetings are also held with local, ward, provincial and national government authorities. In 82 | APAC Outlook issue 49

these forums, the communities and their leaders have the right to raise issues with OTML and the state that impact upon their livelihoods.

OTML uses the meetings to provide feedback on issues previously raised and provide information updates on mining operations, environmental impacts, agreed compensation, statutory compensation, statutory compliance understanding and the awareness of applicable laws relating to lease management and social responsibility programmes managed through OTDF. Western Province entities maintain a 33 percent interest in OTML, with a representation on the Ok Tedi Board of Directors. Ok Tedi engages with its stakeholders and maintain regular open and transparent dialogue with the mine associated communities and government. This dialogue is based on Free and Prior Informed Consent principles to which OTML subscribes.

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APAC Outlook issue 49 | 83

Ok TEDI MINING ‘OK TEDI ENGAGES WITH ITS STAKEHOLDERS AND MAINTAINS REGULAR OPEN AND TRANSPARENT DIALOGUE WITH THE MINE ASSOCIATED COMMUNITIES AND GOVERNMENT’ Ok Tedi’s community development programmes have focused on developing partnerships with local communities, governments and businesses in a bid to help harness sustainable social and economic development in the Western Province and the Telefomin District. This approach ensures the community development programmes complement government initiatives and those of aid agencies and NonGovernment Organisations working within the region.

The delivery and management of major community development programmes are primarily delivered through the Ok Tedi Development Foundation.

Indeed, OTML community development projects target women and children. Ok Tedi, through OTDF, has introduced various women’s programmes which recognise the significant social shift caused by development and the necessity for women to play a more active role in their communities. A key area of this is women’s leadership skills. These workshops aim to strengthen the existing village women’s groups so that they can tie into the PNG National Council of Women network. The focus of these workshops is on equipping women with the skills to assist them to become involved in the decisionmaking process.

Women leaders play an influential role in all mine community 84 | APAC Outlook issue 49

consultation processes and leaders’ meetings and are represented on the OTDF Board. A minimum of 10 percent of the CMCA Compensation package has been allocated for

women and children and regional women’s associations have been set to make use of the funds for women and children projects.

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APAC Outlook issue 49 | 85

Ok TEDI MINING

WOMEN’S REPRESENTATION In 2007, during the mine benefits stream negotiations for communities impacted by the OTML operations, each CMCA region was represented by one woman. The women were able to negotiate for 10 percent of the funds from the mine operations to be dedicated to the women and children programme. This was a significant achievement for women in PNG and reinforced women’s rights to representation at the highest levels of decision making on mine benefits for local communities.

The Memorandum of Agreement following the review specifically provided for recognition of women representatives on Village Planning Committee, the CMCA Association and the Board of the Ok Tedi Development Foundation.

In 2012, when the Mine Continuation Agreements came up for a five-year review, around 30 women leaders participated in the negotiation 86 | APAC Outlook issue 49

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Reliable partners since 1991. mogas.com APAC Outlook issue 49 | 87

Ok TEDI MINING

process. Each region was represented by three women negotiators with six from Mine Village CMCA. During the negotiations, the women increased the trust funding set-aside for women and children from 10 percent to 18 percent, dependent on the region.

Support for the increase came from the male leaders as they recognised that the women leaders were facilitating programmes that benefit the whole village and the families.

OK TEDI WOMEN’S NETWORK Further, the Ok Tedi Women’s Network (OWN) was established to represent females in the Ok Tedi workforce and address issues including the identification of structural barriers to career progression, professional development needs, personal safety and health matters for its female personnel.

OWN provides a platform for women to have a voice and a support 88 | APAC Outlook issue 49

mechanism in which they can learn from other women who could have experienced similar issues.

The key objectives of OWN are: • Creating a forum for exchanging ideas.

• Addressing safety and security matters of concern to female employees of OTML and resident spouses.

• Identify development pathways for female employees and impediments to progression.

• Encourage mentorship and training for female employees.

• Promote ways to improve the success of OTML in attracting and retaining female employees.

INCLUSION STRATEGIES The Pasin Ok Tedi programme is an initiative of the OTML Executive Management Team and focuses on building an inclusive ‘One Team, Wan Pasin.’

The Pasin Ok Tedi Team consists of influential and renowned representatives from across the business who work with the Executive Leadership, Business Improvement and Safety Teams to transform the workplace culture of its business enabling Ok Tedi to uphold its values and achieve its vision.

The Pasin Ok Tedi Team’s goals are: • To support Line Managers and everyone to develop a culture, where employees.

• Feel the sense of belonging and ownership.

• Give their best every day and continuously seek to improve.

• Are kept informed and involved.

• Enjoy the achievement of living up to their responsibilities.

• Realise their worth to the business.

• Help make Ok Tedi a leader of the pack.

• Help make Ok Tedi the employer of choice.

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APAC Outlook issue 49 | 89

Ok TEDI MINING

LOOKING AHEAD

The people of the Star Mountains and the Fly River have traditionally learned their culture, language, knowledge and skills as part of village life. Now, since the mine has opened the area to outside influences, education is widely accepted by the Western Province communities as a way to improve their livelihood and contribute to the long-term economic and social development within the Western Province.

Ok Tedi has long supported local schools through the Tax Credit 90 | APAC Outlook issue 49

Scheme and has built and upgraded many new school classrooms across the Province. The transfer of the Community Education Service function to the Ok Tedi Development Foundation from Ok Tedi has consolidated community development initiatives for all mine associated communities. The OTDF has improved coordination of education and educational services with a number of partners including the Provincial Education Department and other development partners.

Indeed, COVID-19 continues to impact on operations and in March 2021, Ok Tedi suspended its operations for a second time.

As a result of a surge of cases at the mine site and in Papua New Guinea, OTML suspended operations for 14 days from Friday, 19th March. The suspension coincided with the PNG Government’s National Isolation Strategy that was introduced on Monday, 22nd March. The decision was made in accordance with OTML’s commitment to take all reasonably practical measures to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of all its employees, families, contractors and host communities and to ensure the resumption of operations in a safe, economical and timely manner for the benefit of all stakeholders.

During the temporary suspension of operations, the company introduced a mass testing programme within its operations in a bid to further mitigate

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the transmission of COVID-19 and ensure it resumed safe operations. As of the end of March 2021, over 10,000 test samples were collected from its employees, contractors, business partners and families. These were then sent to Australia for testing and regular updates were provided to the National Control Centre in Port Moresby.

Dr. Charlie Turharus, OTML Health Manager, said that the mass testing programme helped his medical team which consists of doctors and healthcare professionals from the Tabubil Hospital to significantly test and isolate COVID-19 cases.

“Fortunately, almost all the cases we have recorded are asymptomatic or only showing mild to moderate symptoms,” said Dr. Turharus.

OTML’s mass testing programme has covered almost all the mine’s work areas including Kiunga and Bige where the firm operates its wharf and dredging operations respectively.

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contain the spread of the virus and resume safe operation,” added Dr. Turharus.

Given the current state of the world, predicting exactly what the future will hold is harder than ever before. But, Managing Director and CEO, Werror, believes that Ok Tedi is well-placed to continue to thrive with the future in mind.

“Ok Tedi has a soul, and the workforce works with great pride knowing their efforts contribute to the development of PNG. We aim to become a role model in the mining industry in PNG.”

Employees working in Port Moresby and at its regional exploration sites are also being tested. “Our priority is the safety, health and wellbeing of all our personnel, and we will ensure that this mass testing programme is implemented successfully so that we

Ok TEDI MINING LIMITED Phone: +675 649 3000 www.oktedi.com

APAC Outlook issue 49 | 91

OK TEDI MINING LIMITED Tabubil Head Office 1 Dakon Road, Tabubil, Western Province, 332, Papua New Guinea

Kiunga Office Hoawaginai Drive, Kiunga, Western Province, 331, Papua New Guinea

Phone: +675 649 3000

Phone: +675 649 3724

www.oktedi.com

PRODUCED BY APAC OUTLOOK MAGAZINE

Port Moresby Office Cnr Musgrave Street & Champion Parade, Port Moresby, National Capital District, 121, Papua New Guinea Phone: +675 321 3522

Brisbane Office 936 Nudgee Road, Northgate, Queensland, 4013, Australia Phone: +61 7 3363 9900