PNG Power amnesty team registers Wanigela households

THE PNG Power Ltd (PPL) Amnesty team registered more than a 100 households at Wanigela village in Port Moresby on Thursday..
Visiting USAID-PEP (PNG Electrification Partnership) project manager Gordon Shaw said he was in the country to see the progress of the US$57 million (about K203 million) project.
Shaw said the visit to the village was the highlight of his two-week trip, seeing how people voluntarily came forward to legally register their illegal power connections.
“I have been in Papua New Guinea for about two weeks now, I am visiting from Washington, just too see how the USAID PEP is going,” he said.
“The total USAID PEP project is US$57 million and that is mostly technical assistance and I think the investment so far is about half of that so we are about half way through.
“We work in four different areas, one is supporting PPL, also supporting off-grids, business models, National Energy Authority as the regulator and then to mobilise finance, but it is exciting to see this amnesty campaign, how people are responding to this on the ground, and how people are willing to make their illegal connection a legal one.”
“It shows that if we give people the opportunity they will do the right thing and become proper PPL customers, we are very happy to support PNG Power.” Shaw said PNG’s energy sector had its challenges but initiatives like the amnesty campaign could make the power generation and supply business sustainable as demand increased.
“Coming here at the village is the highlight, over 100 people registered, which is great progress for one day in one village.”
The amnesty period for illegal connection will continue until May 31.
Amnesty project lead Stanley Mark said: “If you are using electricity without a meter, this is your opportunity to register.”