Daru, in Western Province is set to be the first provincial town in PNG to have all its power generated by a renewable energy.
The PNG Sustainable Development Program (PNGSDP) Chief Executive Officer Lesieli Taviri, made this known at the pre-conference session of the 17th PNG Resources and Energy Investment Conference on Sunday afternoon in Sydney.
Speaking at the Sydney International Convention Centre, Taviri highlighted the longstanding power issues affecting PNG, saying Daru continues to suffer from the lack of a reliable grid power.
“Essential services, such as the Daru hospital, is unable to function effectively due to daily outages and power fluctuations impacting health-critical equipment, such as x-ray machines,” she said.
“With the support of local government authorities and PNG Power Ltd, we are in the progress of a power purchase agreement (PPA) which will result in SDP investing additional capital to double our solar generation capacity to generate up to an average of 12 megawatts an hour per day.
“The investment includes a new underground medium voltage cable to connect SDP’s facility to PPL’s power facility.”
Taviri said this arrangement includes two new transformers, connection stations, grid connectors, safety interlocks and a communication line.
This investment will also include a link to the Daru hospital to enable direct supply.
“The power purchase agreement is in its final stages and we anticipate procurement to happen immediately after, with installation projected to take about 9 months.”
The community solar grid will not only improve Daru; PPL will also benefit from lower cost of generation and increased revenue from reliable supply to businesses and homes.
Taviri described the project as “a good story” that the PNGSDP is proud of.