![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.friedariver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Mr-Titus-Sikitmap-300x171.png\")
<\/p>\nLandowners of the Frieda River copper-gold resource are urging both the government and Frieda River Limited (FRL) to move the project beyond its exploration phase and into full-scale development. After more than 45 years of shifting operators and prolonged uncertainty, the local communities are experiencing the strain of waiting for any tangible progress.<\/p>\n
First discovered in the 1960s, the Frieda River orebody, straddling the border of the Telefomin and Ambunti districts, is now recognised as the world\u2019s seventh-largest untapped copper-gold deposit. Despite decades of exploration and extensive environmental and resource studies, the project has seen numerous companies come and go without significant advancement.<\/p>\n
PanAust took over the exploration licence in 2014 through its subsidiary FRL. It has since moved the project into the feasibility and the permitting stages, including the submission of the Special Mining Licence application and the Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Permit application in 2018.<\/p>\n
\u201cFRL and its parent company PanAust are the only companies that have progressed Frieda River to the permitting phase. We are proud development partners for the East and West Sepik provinces and PNG. We are committed to Papua New Guinea,\u201d emphasised FRL Project Director Phil McCormack.<\/p>\n
However, for the landowners, the journey has been a long and emotional one. Titus Sikitmap, from the far-flung Sokamin village in Telefomin, shared the frustration of seeing various operators make promises and raise expectations, only to sell the exploration licence to another company and leave.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver 40 years, the companies piqued our interest, raised our hopes, and then dashed them when they sold the licence and moved on,\u201d said Titus.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of our people and leaders have passed on while waiting for the Frieda River project to be developed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Afasep Tiptop, a community leader from Amaromin village, another development starved Telefomin community, voiced similar frustrations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have welcomed many different companies, putting on traditional dances and ceremonies, opening our homes, and hoping for progress. Yet, each time, they left,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are thankful to PanAust for staying with us and taking the project to the permitting stage. You have our consent, and we want to see Frieda River progress because it will mean much needed infrastructure and services for us like roads, airstrips, health and education,\u201d said Afasep.<\/p>\n
The Frieda River Copper-Gold Project is one of four multi-billion-kina initiatives that FRL is proposing for the Sepik region. The other three are the Frieda River Hydroelectric Project, the Sepik Power Grid Project and the Sepik Infrastructure Project.<\/p>\n
As the people of Telefomin, Ambunti, and the wider Sepik region continue to wait, their hopes rest on the government and the FRL\u2019s commitment to safely and responsibly bring the Frieda River copper-gold project and the other initiatives to fruition.<\/p>\n
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Featured image: Sokamin villager Titus Sikitmap whose community has no government infrastructure and services pins his hope for much-needed development on the Frieda River copper-gold project.<\/p>\n
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Image 1: Sokamin villager Mr Titus Sikitmap whose community has no government infrastructure and services pins his hope for much-needed development on the Frieda River copper-gold project.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.friedariver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Mr-Afaseo-Tiptop-1-300x170.png\")
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Image 2: Amaromin community leader Mr Afasep Tiptop thanks PanAust and its subsidiary Frieda River Limited for taking the project to the permitting phase, but he wants the Environmental Permit to be granted<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Landowners of the Frieda River copper-gold resource are urging both the government and Frieda River Limited (FRL) to move the project beyond its exploration phase and into full-scale development. After more than 45 years of shifting operators and prolonged uncertainty, the local communities are experiencing the strain of waiting for any tangible progress. First discovered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[11],"class_list":["post-913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-community-engagement"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n