PPL, authority renew deal

THE PNG Power Ltd (PPL) and Arona Valley Development Authority (AVDA) Incorporated have renewed an agreement that will give effect to AVDA drawing down its 2014-2018 outstanding development assistance package.
At the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MoA) yesterday, PPL managing director Flagon Bekker said since the National Executive Council gave the direction to establish AVDA, PPL had contributed more than K35 million over 30 years.
He said the relationship between PPL and AVDA went back to 1988 and this year’s agreement marked the eighth MoA. He said AVDA had received a total of seven payments with the first K2 million payment in 1991.
He said the board was dissolved in 2015 due to internal conflicts but this year’s re-establishment would ensure the people of Arona valley benefited from payments.
AVDA board chairman Bethuel Ponu said the signing was part of the requests the board had made since it was reestablished.
He said the people were looking forward to working with PPL to address other issues in their petition.
AVDA general-manager Patrick Kavare said for the last two weeks of discussions and training with PPL they had learnt a lot about the establishment, guidelines and policies of AVDA.
“Discussions with PPL, noted no conformities on the part of the State, PPL and AVDA,” he said.
He said the MoA would help AVDA to know its establishment.