Commission to carry out review of electricity industry

SEVERAL reviews on the electricity industry will be carried out nationwide by the Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC).
These would be focused on PNG Power Ltd and the industry to ensure competition laws and principles were met, according to ICCC chief executive Paulus Ain.
He said three major issues
were:

•  Electricity regulatory contract of five years with PPL that expired last year;
•  Technical assessment of PPL’s network nationwide; and
•  Competition assessment of the electricity industry
  “The review for the electricity regulatory contract will be concluded in June this year, and will result in setting new price paths and service standards for PPL for the next five years commencing with retrospect to Jan 1, 2018, to Dec 31, 2022,” Ain said
  “The ICCC is also undertaking a competition review of the electricity industry this year.
  “The finding and recommendations will provide the basis for the ICCC to make determination, as the regulator, on whether to open up or not to open up certain new segments of the electricity
  supply industry for competition to occur.” Ain said the technical assessment of PPL’s network was to check its compliance to service standards and technical power systems standards.
  “The ICCC intends to have technical assessment completed before May this year in order for the findings to be considered in the review of the regulatory contract,” he said.