Goroka and the surrounding areas in Easter Highlands Province are without electricity as of Monday 18th September, due to a vandalized transformer.
PNG Power said the cause of this disruption is the malicious damage on a transformer at the Himotovi Substation located just outside the township.
Vital services in Goroka town have been affected since 11am yesterday, with the Goroka General Hospital operating on back-up generator, same goes for banks and schools.
Goroka is currently reliant on locally generated diesel power, albeit with scheduled load shedding measures in place to conserve resources.
PPL says adding to the challenge, spare transformers kept at the substation for prompt replacements have also fallen prey to vandalism.
Presently, efforts are underway to procure a replacement transformer and expedite its installation. However, authorities are unable to offer a definite timeframe for the restoration of power.
“Nonetheless, rest assured that dedicated teams are working diligently to ensure a safe and timely restoration of the power supply,” states PPL.