Power 90% fixed, says PNG Power

ALMOST 90% of the total power flowing in transmission lines going into Lae has been restored.
According to PNG Power Limited operations manager John Tangitban, work on new generators at the Taraka sub-station should be completed by the end of this month or early next month.
Momase and Highlands sub-stations manager Geoffrey Angore yesterday said because of the fire to a main supply cable at Taraka late last month, the transmission gear was destroyed.
A total of 132kV of power is supplied from the main hydro-power supply at the main station at Yonki Hydro-power station in Eastern Highlands province.
This is further reduced to 66,000V and further to 11,000V for consumption in the city.
Mr Angore said PPL already had an agreement with the PNG Waterboard to have a direct transmission line that would service only the water utility company’s stations.
“The arrangement would maintain water supply during electricity interruptions,” he said.
South Korean power company Hyundai Power, which was engaged by PPL, is currently working to install several generators at Taraka.
Mr Angore said his men had been working tirelessly around the clock to fix some of the power problems.
According to Mr Tangitban, a major refurbishment exercise currently being done by PPL had been costly.
And civil works alone were capital intensive and “would cost much more” to improve and maintain other electrical facilities.
He said the Rouna Hydro-power station in Port Moresby cost about K120 million alone to construct.
The sub-station at Taraka has four big transformers and supplies 11,000V of power to areas not served by Yonki.