Power supply

PPL's Independence Promise

PPL chief executive officer, Obed Batia expressed his heartfelt wishes to the nation and made commitment to the people stating that a dedicated team of technical experts will work tirelessly throughout the long weekend to guarantee uninterrupted power supply across the nation.

Rabaul welcomes rural electricity project

This follows a successful awareness on the rural electricity (RE) program conducted last week in these areas by the Rabaul District Administration technical officers, and representatives from PNG Power and contractor Pawa Com.

The awareness exercise, an administrative responsibility of the Rabaul District Administration highlighted the positive impacts of power supply including improving access to electricity, enhancing living conditions, supporting economic growth and enabling social progress.

Kerema, months without power

The cause of the power outage is due to a mechanical fault to a PNG Power generator that has taken this long to fix. 

PPL Kerema Manager, Dos Ipanda in March had assured town residents that the generator was experiencing faults due to damaged engine parts; and PPL would make purchase of the spare parts abroad.

Since then the power blackouts still continues into the month of June, as town residents don’t know when power will be restored.

PPL’s recovery efforts

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.

Gas to boost power supply in PNG

New gas-fired plant to increase installed capacity by 10%

Last November William Duma, minister for public enterprises and state investment, officially launched work on a $120m, gas-fired power station in Port Moresby, which is expected to significantly boost supply to the capital and add almost 10% to the country’s installed capacity, according to data from the Department of National Enterprises.

New power supply approaches to enable PNG development goals

The report, 'Powering PNG into the Asian Century' prepared by Port Jackson Partners for ANZ outlines new directions for electricity supply in PNG. This includes an extension of current electricity sector reforms and the introduction of new, cheaper energy technologies such as solar PV, micro-hydro and biomass to replace PNG’s reliance on diesel generation.