BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Fisheries Minister Bradley Tovosia said that the Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele told him that the Bina Harbour Tuna processing must proceed.

He said that building on fundamental work on securing land access and formalising land tenure, clarifying infrastructure needs and developing stakeholder partnerships, for the projects is now on generating the evidence-based and operational readiness required to transition from design to construction.

He said that the key deliverables through the Bina Harbour Projects Office in the next 12 months include a 30% concept design report and associated cost plan, documenting the total development, a detailed business case and the governance structures required to represent the interests of Bina area villages and water and harbour rights holders.

“Mr Speaker said, when I was given the portfolio, the Honourable Prime Minister said, Bina project, must proceed. It is one of the flagship programs of GNUT,” said Tovosia.

He said that the Public-private partnership structure presented to the Cabinet for approval and the associated rebate scheme policy enabling regulations finalised.

 “To deliver this work programme, the project office will be reorganised and streamlined, become more outward-focused and work closely with the stakeholders, including the Malaita Provincial Government and other national government agencies, government parties and potential investors,” said Tovosia.

“This is very important to us, Mr Speaker said, to move this project,” he said.

He said that the land and marine geotechnical site investigations have recently been completed for the Bina Harbour Port and enabling landslide infrastructure to support the operation of the tuna processing operation.

“The findings will inform the development of the 30% concept design report and cost plan,” he said.

He said the other studies and inputs to inform enabling infrastructure planning and design, including constraints and mapping that consider potential risk to the site, flooding and coastal inundation and to identify important cultural sites and land use features such as dwellings, plantations and natural resources, will be completed by June 2025.

He said that construction materials surveyed, sustainable resources for the supply of the land, field and other local materials will be supported by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development.

He adds that Water supply and wastewater studies have been undertaken with the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification and the Solomon Islands Water Authority are likely to confirm the Kwailegwa River as the project site’s sustainable water source.

He said that the Solomon Islands Water Authority is providing information to support project engineering.

“We are exploring the potential to participate in the construction of Bina Harbour,” he said.

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