Bougainville Rejects China and Turns to India to Reopen Massive Copper Mine

President Ishmael Toroama says his government has rejected a proposal which would have diluted his government’s stake in its copper mining company.

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.