Kumul Petroleum Academy (KPA)

The agreement focuses on expanding the status of the academy by providing more experienced and skilled training to young determined Papua New Guineans.

The expansion of the academy includes a new training facility that is to be situated near the PNG LNG Project Plant site at Caution Bay, with a capacity to train 350-400 trainees. The current KPA facility at Idubada can facilitate 80-100 trainees, thus bringing the total number of trainees in a year to 400-500.

The Minister for Petroleum and Energy William Duma says that with the Kumul Petroleum Academy now in operation, PNG will be able to produce its own skilled workforce for the LNG projects.

Duma said we need to see our own people involved in these very important mineral resource industries as we didn’t have the skilled workers when the PNG LNG Project was developed.

He said when the LNG project was in full construction face, most of the skilled work was done by expatriates who are appreciated, but we now need to see national trained skilled workers at that level.

Training organisation Site Group will build a live oil and gas process plant facility in Papua New Guinea for training purposes.

The $ US 4 million oil and gas training safe live process plant would be the first of its kind for the country and is currently being built in Philippines.

Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited (KPHL) managing director Wapu Sonk confirmed that live plant constructed in the Philippines should be on its way to PNG by October.