The Sepik Development Project (SDP) is a nation-building initiative in Papua New Guinea, delivering transformative infrastructure, renewable power, and essential services to remote communities while responsibly developing one of the world’s largest gold and copper deposits.
“Utilising world-leading engineering and renewable-powered design, the project is committed to protecting the Sepik River ecosystem and ensuring the safety of its communities,” said a Frieda River Limited spokesperson.
Designed as one of the lowest-emission mining projects globally, the SDP supports Papua New Guinea’s commitment to energy transition and sustainable resource development. The mine will be powered by a hydroelectric dam, producing a surplus of 270 MW of electricity. This power will connect to the national grid, supplying industries and communities in the northern border frontier with clean, reliable energy, while contributing to the reduction of PNG’s long-term carbon emissions.
The dam design, which continues to be strengthened and refined, incorporates world-class tailings and waste management technology to effectively mitigate risks to the Sepik River and surrounding ecosystem. It has been engineered to withstand high rainfall and seismic activity, with an embankment and spillway designed to safely accommodate extreme water flows and potential earthquake events.
Water quality will be managed through advanced waste and water-management techniques, including underwater tailings storage and active treatment of open-pit water. The project’s design is informed by one of PNG’s most extensive environmental data programmes, supported by a decade of baseline studies and biodiversity surveys.
Scientific modelling indicates that impacts on downstream water quality and marine life are expected to be minimal, with significant safeguards in place to protect surrounding and downstream communities. The facility is designed to store water and permanently contain process tailings and mine waste rock. Ongoing water quality monitoring will be conducted at two checkpoints during wastewater discharge activities to ensure the Sepik River and surrounding environment remain protected.
“The safety of the Sepik and its communities is a key priority for the project, guided by four principles: technically appropriate, environmentally safe, socially responsible, and financially profitable,” the spokesperson added.
“The Sepik Development Project is committed to genuine, inclusive engagement with communities, ensuring local voices shape how the project is planned and delivered. We believe this nation-building initiative should deliver substantial economic and social benefits to Sepik communities and PNG more broadly. We are actively listening to and working with our stakeholders to ensure this outcome.”
The spokesperson also noted, “We will continue to engage fully and openly with stakeholders through our annual community engagement programmes within the project’s infrastructure and riverine footprint corridor. We welcome questions, feedback, and guidance from communities as we work to deliver a project that brings tangible benefits to landowners, local communities, and PNG as a whole.”
Frieda River Limited is a significant subsidiary of the PanAust Limited Group. In addition to its pre-development opportunities in Papua New Guinea, PanAust Limited owns Phu Bia Mining — an award-winning dual operation in Laos — and has development projects in Chile.
An Australian-incorporated company, PanAust is owned by Guangdong Rising H.K. (Holding) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Guangdong Rising Holding Group Co., Ltd. (GDRH), a Chinese state-owned company regulated under the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province.
