K3.6bil power deal signed

THE United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea yesterday entered into a K3.6 billion agreement which will see 70 per cent get electricity by 2030.
US Vice-President Mike Pence, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill signed the agreement on the sidelines of the main Apec Leaders’ Summit in Port Moresby yesterday.
The agreement comes amid massive spending by China in both PNG and the Pacific.
Pence said the agreement showed that the US and its businesses were “investing in the region as never before”.
“This is actually the very first project under the development cooperation project which the United States forged with Japan and Australia last week,” he said.
“We’re honoured to be joined by New Zealand in bringing the expertise of our businesses to deliver on your (O’Neill) promise to deliver electricity to 70 per cent of your country by the end of this decade.
“It is remarkable to think of the impact this will have on people’s lives all across this nation.
“Electricity will drive economic growth.
“As others have said, it will simply improve the quality of life for people all across Papua New Guinea for generations to come.
“The people of America are honoured to partner you.
“This is a historic project.
“Be assured our allies gathered here today are friends all across the region.
“United States of America is going to continue to work in ways that we can build a brighter future, not just here in Papua New Guinea, but all across the Pacific for all of our people.”
Abe said Japan was implementing the commitment it made at the Palm Summit with Pacific leaders in May.
He said Japan had strong relations with PNG over many years and was involved in a major electricity transmission project in Morobe.
“Together with other like-minded nations including United States, Australia and New Zealand, we remain committed to carefully thought-out assistance to enhance connectivity in this part of the world, especially in the Pacific and in our traditional partner Papua New Guinea,” she said.
Morrison said: “It’s time to power up PNG, right across the country.
“This underpins our commitment to being here, we have always been here, and we will always be here to support the people of PNG and see their economic development.
“Access to electricity is a challenge, given Papua New Guinea’s geography.
“Australia and Papua New Guinea have engineered work hand-in-hand to establish much of the existing grid and we will be together again, working together to establish the new grid of the future.”
“I have sat in remote villages in Papua New Guinea where there is no power in schools, in homes and have some understanding of that challenge of being a Papua New Guinean.
“This opportunity to bring the light, to bring electricity, to bring connectiveness to the digital economy of the future will user in a new era of prosperity for Papua New Guineans.”
Ardern committed NZ to work with Papua New Guinea “to connect more households to electricity supply”.
She said the partnership signalled NZ’s ongoing commitment “to put our financial and our technical resources into connecting more households, businesses and service providers across Papua New Guinea”.
“We are here to support you (O’Neill) in your strategic objective, bringing power to people who’ve never had it before as a transformational impact on their lives,” Ardern said.
“Ultimately, it enables a country to develop. If there is one particular group I want to acknowledge that it would be transformation for, it would be women.
“When they are able to access the tools needed for enterprise, tools needed to encourage digital transformation, then ultimately they and their families will thrive.”
Ardern said over the past five years, New Zealand had helped to connect more than 5000 households with electricity.