ANPM signs Marble Exploration Agreement in the Municipality of Manatuto
The National Petroleum and Minerals Authority (ANPM), on behalf of the Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals, signed on February 14, 2020, a Marble Exploration Agreement with the company Elegant Marble Group Unip, Limitada (EMG), after months of negotiation between the parties. The signing ceremony took place at the Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão Auditorium at the Ministry of Finance in Dili.
The Exploration Agreement aims to establish a structure for the evaluation of the potential of marble resources for commercial development in the Ilimanu region, in the Municipality of Manatuto, at Laclo Administrative Post, in Suco Uma Kaduak, for a period of eighteen months.
ANPM is responsible for managing and regulating oil and mining activities in the Timor-Leste area, both offshore and onshore.
The President of THE ANPM, Gualdino da Silva, in his speech, stressed the importance of this exploration agreement for the development of potential mineral resources in Timor-Leste.
Gualdino da Silva said that "EMG is an international company from China, with great experience in the mineral resources sector, starting with exploration, development, extraction to marketing, not only in China but around the world”.
The President of ANPM also said that "this agreement for an 18-month period has a clear plan of activities, program, schedule and budget."
Gualdino da Silva also said that Timor-Leste "will benefit from products, royalties and taxes" and "priority will be given to hiring Timorese workers." He added "that if the holding moves forward, products and services from local suppliers will be used”.
