PPL struggling to meet demand

By DYLAN MURRAY

PNG Power Limited is struggling to meet current demand in the nation’s capital, says chief executive officer Obed Batia.
“We have a capacity to supply, but in terms of available generations, we fall short,” said Batia.
He told The National that the total daily demand for Port Moresby alone was around 130 megawatts, with the highest amount of power used in a day sitting at 133 megawatts.
However, he said Lae’s power demand peaked at 40 megawatts with an average of 34 to 36 megawatts.
“Peak hours begin at around 9am, dropping off and resting at 2pm before picking up again at around 6pm, dropping off for the day at around 9pm,” he said. “Peak hours in the night are because families cook around that time.”
He said PPL’s ability to meet daily demand depended on daily generation of power.
“When one of our generation points in Port Moresby fails, we fall by 18 or 20 megawatts and this causes us to load shed,” Batia said.
He alluded to load shedding being a frequent exercise in the National Capital District because their current generation capacity was not enough to meet the demand.
He said that at present, Rouna generated 40 megawatts while Dirio and Niu Power both produce around 30 megawatts.
Batia said when the new Edevu Hydropower project comes online, they would have some relief. Edevu had been reported to have the potential to supply 54 megawatts, which would bring PPL’s potential generation total to 150 megawatts.
“We are struggling right now; we are trying our best to do what we can within our means to make sure that we provide reliable, constant and stable power,” he said.