Basil: Invest in our energy sources

Main Stories, National
Source:

The National, Thursday October 31st, 2013

 DEPUTY Opposition leader Sam Basil, pictured right, said despite the country’s abundant supply of water, gas and oil resources, it still faced energy supply problems.

He said the power blackouts were a daily occurrence. 

Basil urged the Government to invest in its own energy requirements and allow private investors  and districts to invest in their own energy sources.

He was responding to Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s, pictured far right, outrage at the power disruptions since last weekend and the absence from the country of the top brass of PNG Power Ltd. 

It is expected that some serious disciplinary action will be taken when they return home from abroad.    

Basil said: “We must not sell all our oil and gas for other countries’ energy requirements when we are facing problem or bound to have more problems. 

“With many mining and resource extraction projects, we must now seriously develop own energy requirements.

“If we were to sack the chief executive officer or management of PNG Power, we would be recruiting new personnel on a daily basis because the problem will remain. 

“It is a common knowledge that water is a problem in Port Moresby and the turbines at power stations are out of date and require maintenance on a frequent basis.

“We have many fast-flowing rivers and suitable geography for dams. 

“We have gas and oil that we are exporting without delivering our own energy supply.

“The prime minister and the minister for public enterprise must be warned that whether (PNG Power chief executive officer) John Tangit or any 

manager is out of the country or in PNG, we will continue to have frequent disruptions to power. 

“Government must encourage private investors and districts to have own hydro electricity to supply their localities and to reduce the strain on PNG Power. 

“When we are facing energy supply problems on daily basis, we are not investing in meeting own requirements but we are happy to supply others,” Basil said.