Hydropower tagged as ideal renewable energy

Papua New Guinea’s rugged mountainous highlands are ideal for hydroelectric power generation, and the government has been keen to capitalise on its abundant hydro resources as it develops new renewable energy projects. A large number of hydropower projects are under the management of Kumul Consolidated Holdings (KCH), the statutory body responsible for overseeing public infrastructure projects. They are planned for development under a public-private partnership (PPP) framework, a promising indication that the PPP model could be expanded into major transportation and infrastructure projects in the coming years. The government’s longterm economic development plans foresee meeting PNG’s total energy needs via renewable resources.
In addition to hydropower, the country is making steady progress towards launching new solar and geothermal projects, with rising investor interest in renewables development expected to support a robust midterm capacity growth in production.
High hydro potential PNG’s challenging geography has given it significant hydroelectric potential.
The country’s topography includes nine large hydrological drainage basins, fed by a vast network of large rivers. PNG’s largest river basins include the Sepik, with a 78,000- sq-km catchment area; the Fly River basin, which extends for 61,000 sq km; the Purari River basin, covering 33,670 sq km; and the Markham River basin’s catchment area, which covers 12,000 sq km. Additional river catchments are located in extremely steep terrain, according to the APEC forum, although these are generally less than 5000 sq km. Average annual rainfall on mainland PNG fluctuates from less than 200 cm in the
driest areas to 800 cm in mountainous regions, while the island regions receive around 300 cm to 700 cm.
Additionally, better management of the countries water resources would be welcome, especially in terms of energy production. “Non-water revenue (NRW), from water loss to theft, stands at about 35 per cent in PNG.
To put this in perspective of room for development, Cambodia leads the world at 4 per cent NRW,” Raka Taviri, CEO of Water PNG, told OBG. Hydropower currently accounts for approximately 40 per cent of total
installed capacity in the country, with hydro plants operating in each of the country’s three main national grids: the Port Moresby, Ramu and Gazelle Peninsula systems. National grids
The Port Moresby system’s generation comes from four hydropower stations; the 62.2-MW Rouna system, located along the Laloki River; the controlled water storage in the Sirinumu Reservoir; the 30-MW diesel and gas turbine thermal power station at Moitaka; and the generator located at the Sirinumu Dam. In addition, a privately owned, diesel-operated power station at Kanudi offers 24 MW of capacity to the capital.
The Ramu system is mainly fuelled by the Ramu Hydro Power Station, which offers 75 MW of installed capacity divided between five 15-MW units. Hydro energy to the system is also supplied by the 12-MW Pauanda run-of-river station in the Western Highland and purchased from the privately-owned Baiune hydropower station in Bulolo in Morobe. The station generates between 1-2 MW of power. Additionally, diesel plants located in Madang, Lae, Mendi and Wabag offer standby power options.
The smallest grid, the Gazelle Peninsula system, sources electricity from the 10-MW Warangoi hydro plant and two diesel plants: an 8.4- MW facility in Ulagunan and a 0.5- MW facility in Kerevat. Oil-based
power stations also serve isolated communities in the region, according to APEC.
Renewable prospects According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), PNG’s hydropower resources could have the potential for up to 10,000 MW of generation capacity, although at present that number is closer to 215 MW. The country is also looking to geothermal energy as a potential new source of energy. APEC reported that PNG’s gross theoretical hydropower potential is 175 TWh annually, while the
Geothermal Energy Association has estimated the country’s geothermal potential at 21.9 TWh. This means the country could theoretically meet all its domestic energy needs via geothermal nsources well into the future.
By 2035 the government hopes to have developed 500 MW of new geothermal electricity generation capacity, and has targeted meeting 100 per cent of domestic energy demand via renewable resources by 2030, according to APEC’s 2016 “Energy Supply and Demand Outlook.” However, these goals depend on international financial support.
Additionally, APEC projects that natural gas is set to play a much larger role in energy generation until 2040, reporting that the share and volume of gas in PNG’s total primary energy supply (TPES) is set to rise from 5 per cent, or 928,570 barrels of oil equivalent (boe) in 2013, to 37 per cent, or 32.1m boe, by 2040. Oil’s share is set to fall from 78 per cent of TPES in 2013, to 45 per cent in 2040. Renewable energy’s share of TPES is also forecast to fall, from 18 per cent in 2013 to 16 per cent in 2040, even as its volume rises from 3.2m boe to 13.6m boe. _oxfordbusinessgroup. com