The 58.7 Mega Watt ‘NiuPower’ Power Plant outside of Port Moresby is near completion with commissioning expected before the end of the year.
This was revealed following a site visit by NiuPower Joint Venture owners Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited and Oil Search limited.
Deputy Prime Minister, Charles Abel, was also on the tour.
NiuPower Project Director, Michael Krause, said the project is 80% complete and will handed over early next year.
“The plant will be handed over to NiuPpwer’s ownership in the first quarter of next year and then be available to provide reliable low cost, clean energy, to the grid for the Port Moresby business sector and the public,” he said.
The Joint Venture project by KPHL and Oil Search, at 50-50 ownership, costs K100 million.
KPHL Managing Director, Wapu Sonk, said since the launching a year ago, the project has come along well to utilize PNG’s own gas to generate power.
“So its the first use of our gas outside of the PNG LNG Project, so its good to see the use of gas into power and hopefully other industries in the years to come,” he said.
Oil Search Managing Director, Peter Botten, said the project was competitive and the Power Purchasing Agreement in place will save PNG Power millions of Kina and in turn make the utility company more financially viable.
“There is a power purchase agreement with PNG power and there’s still a bit to do in terms of tying and making the power station operable but look, were very much on track to meet the deadline for commissioning later this year onto full production in the first quarter,” said Botten.
Meanwhile Deputy Prime Minister, Charles Abel, said it was the Governments agenda to see more domestic use of the country’s natural resources and the project was a testament to that.
“As we negotiate the new LNG project going forward it very important that we have an element of domestic market obligation so the we have the ability to retain gas back for Papua New Guinea abut also for other downstream processing,” said Abel.