Briefs

Generator for district
A NEW 500-kilowatt generator has been delivered to Bwagaoia station in Milne Bay to assist in its electricity supply after its old generator began having problems. Samarai-Murua MP Isi Henry Leonard highlighted the importance of electricity to the hospital, schools and businesses, most of whom had to rely on generators over the past year. The station had been receiving its power supply from the hydro-power facility, complemented by the generator. Hydro power provides electricity to West Bwagaoia.

Mine gets eco aware
RAMU NiCo’s environment office plans to provide technical training to environment officers and initiate new plans for the mine and refinery, says environment manager Steven Opur. He said training would help the department assess the environment in the project area and allow scientists to conduct tests and assessments on the area’s ecosystem. The training will include environment officers in the Basamuk refinery and Kurumbukari mine. “In doing so we will be able to provide a report to the Conservation Authority (Cepa).

NFA to downsize
THE National Fisheries Authority will over time progressively downsize its workforce as part of an organisational restructure. Managing director Justin Ilakini confirmed this while clarifying that the exercise was not necessarily a cost-cutting issue but to do with efficiency. “Over the years, NFA has gotten too fat,” he said. “We want to ensure that one person is doing the job of three people and not three people doing the job of one; so it is basically about improving productivity and efficiency in the workplace.”

Six start training
SIX mining and mineral processing final-year students from the University of Technology have commenced industrial training with Ramu NiCo Management (MCC) in Madang. Registered mining manager for Ramu NiCo’s Kurumbukari mine site Joseph Umare said the students, who started on Feb 5, would be attached to the mining section. “The company uses two different methods to extract laterite ore with conventional mining on one hand and hydro slicing on the other hand,” he said.