Oil Search and PNG Power Limited signed an agreement today to expand the electricity grid to cover 100,000 household in the Southern Highlands and Hela Province by 2030.
Hela is the home of the multi-billion LNG project.
“The agreement signed today will provide gas live generation to allow the expansion of the Tari grid into Mendi providing power for many thousands of people in Hela, and then Southern Highlands Province,” said Peter Botten, Oil Search Managing Director.
The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) follows the successful provision of power supply to Tari town after its signing in September 2015.
“Already made a progress to provide sustainable and reliable power into Tari by working closely with PNG Power,” Botten said.
He added there had been a reliable supply of power using diesel to PPL’s power plant in Tari to light up the town.
“There has being continuous 24-hour power generation in the town, supporting health and education facilities.”
“Oil Search and PPL are also working closely together to progress the next stage of development. This comprises the installation of a 45km transmission line from the Highlands independent power producer Complex (to be located adjacent to the Oil Search Hides Gas-to-Electricity Plant) to the Tari Power Station and a rural connections rollout plan to households in the Hela and Southern Highlands Provinces, with a target of connecting more than 100,000 households by 2030,” OSL statement to Port Moresby and Australia stock market announced.