Political situation delays tabling of energy authority bill

THE tabling of the National Energy Authority Bill in Parliament will be delayed because of the current political situation, says Energy Minister William Gogl Onglo.
He said a National Energy Authority should be established immediately to provide policy and regulatory directions for the electricity and the energy industry to meet the domestic, commercial and industrial demands.
“It is unacceptable that there has been so many obstacles created at political and bureaucratic levels to hinder the establishment of the authority,” he said.
Discussions on the setting up of a energy authority started in 2014.
“I was told the previous government was throwing the National Energy Authority Bill around like a football resulting in the long delay in its enactment,” Oglo said.
He said a energy authority would implement the recommendations in the national energy policy.
Currently, there is no state organisation that has the capacity to implement the technical and economical skills required for the energy sector.
“No state body has the capacity to implement both grid and off-grid aspects of the national electrification roll-out plan, coordinate the PNG electricity partnership with Apec countries and reorganise PNG Power Limited’s interest in rural electrification,” he said.