The Panguna mine is a large
copper mine located in the
Autonomous Region of Bougainville, in the east of
Papua New Guinea. Panguna represents one of the largest copper reserves in
Papua New Guinea and in the world, having an estimated reserve of one billion tonnes of
ore copper and twelve million ounces of
gold.
The mine has been closed since 1989 and has ceased all production.
History
The discovery of vast copper ore deposits in
Bougainville's Crown Prince Range led to the establishment of the copper mine in 1969 by
Bougainville Copper Ltd
Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) is a mining company of Papua New Guinea (PNG) that is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). BCL operated the copper, gold and silver mine at the Panguna mine on Bougainville Island in PNG from 19 ...
, a subsidiary of the Australian company
Conzinc Rio Tinto of Australia
Rio Tinto Group is an Anglo-Australian multinational company that is the world's second-largest metals and mining corporation (behind BHP). The company was founded in 1873 when of a group of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto, ...
. The mine began production in 1972, with the support of the Papua New Guinea National Government as a 20% shareholder. In contrast to this, the Bougainvilleans received 0.5–1.25% share of the total profit. The site was at the time the world's largest open-pit copper/gold mine, generating 12% of PNG's GDP and over 45% of the nation's export revenue.
The mine caused devastating
environmental issues on the island, and the company was responsible for poisoning the entire length of the
Jaba River, causing birth defects, as well as the extinction of the
flying fox on the island. Bougainville Copper had set up a system of racial segregation on the island, with one set of facilities for white workers and one set for locals. This led to an uprising in 1988, led by
Francis Ona, a Panguna landowner and commander of the
Bougainville Revolutionary Army. The outcome of the uprising was the
Bougainville conflict
The Bougainville conflict, also known as the Bougainville Civil War, was a multi-layered armed conflict fought from 1988 to 1998 in the North Solomons Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG) between PNG and the secessionist forces of the Bougainville ...
, between the BRA, who sought secession from PNG, and the
Papua New Guinea Defence Force. The ten-year conflict resulted in over 20,000 deaths, as well as the eventual closure of the mine on 15 May 1989, and the complete withdrawal of BCL personnel by 24 March 1990. It has remained closed to this day.
Gallery
File:BCP-millCopper ore concentrator undergoing construction. Mill building. 1 c. 1971.jpg, Ore mill at Panguna, Boungainville mine under construction, c. 1971
File:Bougainville Panguna mine shovel.jpg, Shovel at Panguna mine undergoing maintenance, engaged in overburden removal, c. 1971.
See also
*
History of Bougainville
References
{{reflist
Copper mines in Papua New Guinea
Former Rio Tinto (corporation) subsidiaries
Open-pit mines