Power woes continuing

By GLORIA BAUAI
BUSINESSES in Lae have been relying on generators with the recent increase in blackouts, power fluctuations and load-shedding, according to the Lae Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Chamber president John Byrne said: “Generators are operating (in many cases) full time as business cannot operate with the surges and dropouts, particularly manufacturing lines, and need to use expensive backup. This is causing an increase in costs to run the businesses and households.”
Attempts by The National to get comment from PNG Power Limited have been unsuccessful.
Byrne said the problem appeared to be historical, as the grid network had been neglected thereby causing breakdowns, made worse by vandalism, and the Munum power station’s inability to provide maximum power.
“Businesses rightly say they pay PPL for power but are not receiving the required service or reliability, as do domestic users,” he said. He however complimented the Lae PNG Power team for its diligence and professionalism through the challenge and in general operations where underfunding appears to be a major constraint.
Byrne suggested that the PNG Electrification Partnership (PEP) programme partners (Australia, US, Japan and New Zealand), should consider how best to work with the Government and PPL, and businesses in providing a sustainable and reliable solution.
“There appears to be many micro-projects being worked on but we need a helicopter view and plan to manage this going forward.
“We request Minister William Duma and the PPL management to provide a solution to ensure we have reliable power,” he said.
“Lae is no more important than any other PNG city, however we are the manufacturing and distribution hub of PNG and reliable power is critical. Business are standing their employees down due to power issues.”