Tangguh LNG project must benefit natives: official

A senior official of the Irian Jaya province said on Tuesday the Tangguh Liquefied Natural Gas project owned by Anglo American oil and gas company Beyond Petroleum should bring benefit to the natives of Irian Jaya, where the project was located.

Head of Irian Jaya's Environmental Monitoring Agency (BAPEDALDA) HE Mackbon said that the owner of the project should care care for development for the local people in every stage of the project.

He said BP had thus far responded for the demand by recruiting and training 10 natives, mostly from Bintuni Bay, where the project is located.

"They are not projected to become low level workers. Most of them are Bintuni natives who graduated from University of Cendrawasih," Mackbon told Petromindo.com on the sideline of the seminar.

The University of Cendrawasih is located in Irian Jaya's capital of Jayapura.

Mackbon said BP had to develop slose relatonship with the native to create their sense of belonging to the project.

"Local people must be given chances to become supplier to the project. That way, they would feel that they are involved in the project and would want to see the project run smoothly," Mackbon said.

BP has yet to develop the Tangguh project as it is still looking for buyers for the LNG to be produces from the plant.

BP and other contractors have discovered huge gas reserve around the Bintuni area. (alex)