PNG Power Ltd

The cargo-laden charter flight, a Boeing 747 cargo freighter loaded with nearly 100 tonnes of crucial PNG Power equipment, touched down in Port Moresby after a direct flight from Shenzhen, China on Sunday, August 20, 2023.

The arrival of the charter flight marked a significant milestone, as it not only showcased the successful transportation of vital cargo but also demonstrated the strengthening ties between PNG Power and its international partners.

The utility company has been grappling with power supply issues due to mechanical faults in three of the station's five generating units, resulting in heavy load shedding.

A technical team dispatched from Port Moresby arrived in Wewak on August 2 to tackle the malfunctioning generators. Presently, only two units are operational, leaving the grid strained and residents enduring power cuts.

PNG Power informed its valued customers and the general public about the situation in a post on its social media page on Facebook last night.

Local individuals in Chimbu, situated between Goroka and Kundiauwa, deliberately chopped down trees onto the transmission lines, resulting in the disruption of power. Despite the efforts of PNG Power personnel, the supply has not been restored and will be attempted again today.

PNG Power clarified in the statement that it is taking serious steps to address the issues it is currently experiencing.

One of the main challenges faced by PNG Power is the reliability of power supply, which is a result of ageing infrastructure, power theft, and the inability to pass on the costs of power purchased to end users.

To address these issues, PNG Power is undertaking various projects to increase electricity availability in Port Moresby, Ramu, and Lae and to improve reliability through better transmission and distribution.

Leading a group of female managers with the support of male colleagues, Vera is part of a new generation of Papua New Guineans working to improve and change the electricity industry in the country.

From the Aroma Coast of Central Province, Vera was inspired by the first female Papua New Guinean electrical power engineer, Finkewe Zurecnuoc, to study electrical engineering in power.

As a result, the company is unable to invest in repair and maintenance, spares, and other capital investments to improve the reliability of its power service. It was found in a recent study that over 100,000 customers are currently consuming power without a PNG Power meter and are therefore not registered as customers.

PNG Power Chief Executive Officer, Obed Batia denied recent claims that the Vanimo Power Station had caught fire yesterday morning destroying all its generators disrupting power supply in the township.

He said the news report is misleading and not true.

PNG Power switched-off the power station, following an unfortunate fire incident that started from the PNG Defence Force Forward Base, which shares the boundary with the power station and the fire quickly spread out to the power station yard.

The recent system power outages in Port Moresby are experienced due to technical issues between all generation power stations both at PNG Power and the Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

PPL in collaboration with IPP stakeholders are working to correct those issues with respect to grid control and regulation issues, in order to provide stable power.

When announcing the extension that runs until August 31, 2022 PPL urged all unregistered electricity consumers connected to the PNG Power grid without a meter, to go forward and register as new customers at their nearest PNG Power offices or call the toll free number 116.

With continuous power outage over the past months and a total outage that occurred yesterday at 3am with the Port Moresby Grid, was due to faults located on the transmission line at the Kanudi Power Station leaving residents in complete darkness.

Electricians worked tirelessly to restore power but went out again and was restored the second time at 6am yesterday.

The power supply was restored eventually to all Port Moresby sub-stations from Bomana, Waigani, Boroko, Konedobu and Kanudi and was fully restored by 8.30am yesterday.