PPL staff attend training

MORE than 40 PNG Power Ltd (PPL) workers have attended two days of training to help improve their delivery of energy services to consumers.
Part of the training was concentrated on the utility’s revenue collection from large consumers, as well as prepare for the transition to a newer meter-data management system and enterprise resource planning.
The United States government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) conducted virtual training sessions on June 10-11.
“The training strengthens PPL, a critical institution in PNG’s energy infrastructure, and builds a foundation for strengthened governance,” said US Ambassador to PNG, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu Erin McKee.
“It also is an important deliverable of our work on the PNG electrification partnership, of which PPL is a key partner.”
According to the embassy, the training was designed to improve the energy utility’s revenue collection from large consuming customers, as well as prepare for the transition to a newer meter-data management system and enterprise resource planning.
The training was organised by USAID’s sector reform and utility commercialisation (Sruc) project.
During the training, the USAID team provided recommendations on improvements to the entry and management of data, as well as a methodology to survey, cleanse, and realign PPL’s large customer database.
Work under USAID’s Sruc project supports the PNG electrification partnership (PEP) project that aims to help electrify 70 per cent of PNG’s population by 2030.
Under the PEP project, USAID seeks to connect at least 200,000 new households to electricity and institutionalise key strategies for providing energy access over the coming years.