PNG Power

The contractor, engaged by DEC, tragically lost his life while conducting scheduled maintenance on January 25th, 2024.

The deceased is a licensed diver and was trapped 20 meters underwater and succumbed to the conditions at 9:30 pm local time. PNG Power extends its deepest sympathies to the family and colleagues of the deceased, emphasizing their commitment to supporting them through this difficult time.

The outage happened at 12:15 pm today, and was caused by a fault on transmission line (L545) between Dirio Power Station and Kanudi sub-station.

Although PPL has not provided any information on the expected duration of the outage, PNG Power has reassured their clients and customers that their technical team is working tirelessly to restore power to all other lines and feeders.

Additionally, the affected line has been isolated for further inspection.

In May, the electric company responsible for the generation, transmission, distribution and retailing of electricity throughout Papua New Guinea stated that they are losing 26 percent to 30 percent of energy generated through illegal power theft activities such as meter tampering, meter by-pass, and direct connections.

In an effort to combat these revenue leakages, maintain existing revenue, and encourage further revenue growth; PPL launched Phase 2 of the Amnesty Program on May 30, 2022.

A statement, signed by PPL Board Chairman Moses Maladina, was issued this afternoon announcing Bekker’s decision to leave the organisation, after nine months in office.

Maladina stated Bekker’s reason for resigning was personal.

Obed Batia, who has served PPL for over 30 years, is now the Officer in Charge of PPL, until a formal engagement is finalised.

The Chairman and Board of PNG Power will provide the new Officer in Charge and the leadership team with its full support, during the interim.

In a statement, Oil Search says it received a letter from PNG Power Limited (PPL) and is engaging with all key stakeholders, including Markham Landowners and Development Partners to Assess the potential impact of a cancelled PPA.

Oil Search Country Manager, Leon Buskens said it is important that they find a solution to bring the project’s low-cost reliable energy onto the Ramu Grid.

“We intend to work with PPL to find a resolution to move forward together. We are ready to build the power plant and solar farm.

In a statement PNG Power says the load shedding is to repair ageing equipment at Boroko sub-station.

PPL says the recent introduction of NiuPower into the Port Moresby grid has led to load shedding exercise due to lack of compensating reactive power to meet demand.

Negotiations with NiuPower to adjust their generator settings have seen a reduction in load shedding from two feeders to one per day, as well as reducing load shedding hours from seven to five.

The move by PNG Power, with the support of IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and donors Australia and New Zealand, marks a significant change in policy. Until now, it was illegal for Papua New Guinean businesses to install and generate power from roof top solar panels.

“Now large commercial and industrial businesses in the capital, Port Moresby, can apply to have solar PV systems connected to the grid, under the first phase of the scheme,” said PNG Power’s Acting CEO, Douglas Mageo.

“Not all organisation think like how PNG Power is thinking on safety. The company has involved St. John Ambulance and PNG Fire Service for training and this is a milestone that you should all be proud of,” said St. John Ambulance Chief Superintendent, Alicia Gegera.

Inspector Ngamalu Gelinglot, of PNG Fire Service, said the skills received during the training were vital and can be utilised at work and at home.

The contracts were co-signed by AG Investments and Dongfang Electric International Corporation.

The projects cost around US$30 million (K98m) and fall under the Town Electrification Investment Program Tranche 2 Project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

PPL acting managing director, Carolyn Blacklock, said the maintenance works were crucial to ensure PNG achieves its targets of less-cost power generation.

She said while there are many discussions on other forms of power generation, what they should focus on is rehabilitating existing assets.

Acting Managing Director Carolyn Blacklock reaffirmed that the Port Moresby transmission and distribution teams were working hard for quality supply and are ready for APEC.

Manager Pom Transmission, Jeffrey Agona, is a veteran employee of over 36 years’ experience in both the Ramu and POM grids. He explained the important role substations in particular have in providing quality power supply to customers and the initiatives underway to polish up the substations prior to APEC.