The Indonesian State electricity firm Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PT PLN) is on standby to supply electricity to the Wutung Border Post and Vanimo Township.
For this to go ahead, PT PLN is awaiting formal agreement between the West Sepik Provincial Member and its counter-part from Papua Province, Jayapura, Indonesia.
They gave assurance when inter-government agency officials led, by the Department of Provincial and Local-level Government Affairs (DPLGA), Department of Works and Highways, National Energy Authority, PNG Power Limited (PPL) Vanimo branch and the West Sepik Provincial Administration, visited PLN’s Holtekamp electric power plant last Friday.
This would be historic arrangement for the first time, where PPL is in negotiation to buy power from the Indonesian state company PLN on a fair price.
The first phase of the power project is to connect Wutung villages and the Border administrative complex to the PLN supply across the border then to Lido to Vanimo Township when PNG Power connects the Grid.
This project will benefit around 10,000 people living in five villages of Lido, Waromo, Yako, Mushu and Wutung located along the transmission powerline corridor.
Provision of this power would be governed through a power purchase agreement (PPA) if signed off between PPL and PLN with initial indications that the rate offered by PLN is very competitive.
With the agreement in place, the PNG government is excited about the fact that with power from Indonesia will make Vanimo operations for PNG Power Limited will become reliable.
Indonesian state company PLN has already completed electricity network project in 2018 from their Holtekamp electric power plant that currently generates up to 154 megawatts (MW) to Wutung Border Post, and have agreed to supply additional electricity needs in the border area by using the electric power transmission and distribution network in Skouw, Jayapua.
Acting Provincial Administrator, Dickson Dale said the two important project components of water and rural electricity supply connecting Wutung Border Post and Vanimo town would boost economic activities and improve people’s living standards.
“We’ve been living in the dark for almost 20 years with no water and power although Vanimo shares its major international border. We want to declare Vanimo a Free Trade Centre but we’re not ready at this stage because water and power are unreliable at the moment,” Dale said.
He welcomed all government officials who arrived from Port Moresby to kick-start negotiations with the Wutung landowners to construct a water supply project, as well as Indonesian state company PLN to connect electricity to the Wutung Border Post office complex and Wutung villages.
Wutung Ward Councilor, Ray Tanji said they’ve been waiting for the power project for a long time.
“Most of the government offices located at the PNG –Indonesia border have facilities to assist everyone travelling to and from Indonesia but were unused for nearly 11 years.
“With the proposed talks between the PNG Government and the Indonesian state company PLN on the arrangements to connect power supplies to Wutung border post facilities and its villages, my villages are happy to work with them to bring much-needed basic government services,” Tanji said.
Tanji said with power coming from Indonesia, government agencies like Police, PNG Defence, Immigration, DPLGA and Customs will use office equipment such as computers and scanners to perform their jobs diligently in manning the border.