A settlement has been reached in the lawsuit facing BHP Minerals and Ok Tedi Mining, an 18%-owned subsidiary of Inmet Mining, over the disposal of tailings from the companies’ copper-gold mine in Papua New Guinea.
The $4-billion lawsuit, launched in 1994 on behalf of residents of communities near the Fly and Ok Tedi Rivers, alleged environmental damage to the rivers as a result of tailings disposal.
The settlement, worth $160 million, follows last year’s announcement that the companies would pay about $4 million per year, over the life of the mine, to those communities most affected by operations at the Ok Tedi project.
The latest settlement includes clean-up and legal costs, as well as additional compensation.
The agreement also calls for the companies to support an enquiry by the PNG government into the containment or disposal of tailings.
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