Tangit: Weather conditions contributing to blackouts

 PNG Power Ltd is attributing the continuous power disruptions in Port Moresby to prevailing weather conditions.

Chief executive officer Johh Tangit, in response to questions about the ongoing power blackouts in the city, said the transition from dry to wet weather was affecting insulators of the distribution lines.

Tangit said during the dry spell, salt vapour settled on the top of the insulators on the distribution lines.

During the wet weather, a bridging effect takes place. “The rainy season setting in brings with it electoral issues on the distribution front,” he said.

“The bridging effect causes a lot of havoc.”

He said another contributing factor was manpower shortage in the operation and maintenance team.

He said while workers attended to certain areas of the city, some suburbs had to endure delays and much longer hours of blackouts.

Recently, Port Moresby residents have been experiencing longer hours of blackouts. It is worse in the evenings when people are at home.

Tangit said PNG Power was doing its best to ensure that city residents and business houses had undisrupted power supply in the city.