Receiver John Fisk, of PricewaterhouseCoopers, said there were a number of international parties interested in buying the company but each had their own internal processes to follow, which was going to take longer than originally hoped.
No decision on the sale of Pike River Coal is expected before Christmas, the company's receiver says.
Receiver John Fisk, of PricewaterhouseCoopers, said there were a number of international parties interested in buying the company but each had their own internal processes to follow, which was going to take longer than originally hoped.
“Therefore, we don’t expect to be signing a sale agreement this side of Christmas.”
The sale is expected to include the establishment of a trust that will help oversee efforts to enter the main area of the mine and facilitate recovery of any remains, Mr Fisk said.
“We expect the purchaser to prepare a detailed plan and timetable, use best endeavours to carry out body recovery and to have set aside funds to be used for that purpose.”
However, Mr Fisk said that, as noted previously, no one could give any guarantees to the families about re-entry of the mine’s main workings or how long that process may take.
“Everyone involved understands how anxious the families are to recover their loved ones, but this will be an extremely complex task and safety is paramount.”
Meanwhile, work to seal and ventilate the mine access tunnel is continuing.
Drilling of a borehole had begun, he said, in conjunction with preparatory work for the injection of a foaming chemical that will be injected into the mine to create a seal at the rock fall located at the top end of the access tunnel.
While there remain a number of challenges ahead within the process for reclaiming of the tunnel and the outcome is not guaranteed, he hoped the process will be completed in February.
