Business community wants regular power supply

THE Lae business community want a regular supply of power and relayed the message directly to PNG Power managing director Flagon Bekker last week.
Bekker, during a breakfast meeting organised by the Lae Chamber of Commerce Inc, highlighted a plan for restructure in the short and long terms.
Keith Kingston of KK Kingston said the plans proposed would never be implemented, which had been the case with PNG Power for years.
“I’ve spent 50 years this country and have watched the decay of PNG power,” Kingston said.
“I think every business person who has been in this country for many years will tell you that the changes you are proposing cannot be implemented – not in your lifetime or mine.”
Among the challenges Kingston highlighted was landowner issues and old infrastructure.
“Across the country, the problem has not changed,” he said.
“You have a string of generators that are in pieces and it wouldn’t matter if you bought spare parts.
“There’s nobody to put it back together.
“That’s the reality of what you’ve inherited.
“And all we want is clean regular supply of power even if we have to pay for it at the terrible cost that we do.”
Chamber president John Byrne said power supply would never be an easy conversation in PNG.
“Power is a real challenge for us all,” he said.
“We’re all concerned about the past, present and where it’s going,” he said.
Chamber members invited Bekker to visit Lae at least two more times this year to provide updates on the power supply.