Locals overlooking the site of the Panguna Mine in Bougainville. Courtesy of John D Kuhns.
The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) has rejected a proposal that would have watered down its stake in Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL), which owns the Panguna copper mine—one of the world’s largest—to a Chinese-controlled entity.
Instead, the ABG will turn to an Indian firm to reopen Panguna, which is estimated to contain around 1 billion tonnes of copper and 12 million tonnes of gold, as well as the hopes of the region’s economic future post-independence.
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