Work on the restoration of power supply into the Upper Highlands Region is still ongoing as of this afternoon. PNG Power expects to have the work completed tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon and have full power supply restored to the Upper Highlands Region townships of Kundiawa, Minj, Banz, Mt Hagen, Ialibu, Mendi and Wabag. We would also like to correct the misleading headline put out on the front page of the Post-Courier today (Tuesday February 8) stating that the power outage will be off for an indefinite period.
All valued Electricity Consumers and the general public are advised that PNG Power has begun blocking off Easipay Meters which are detected on our Easipay system to be not in operation.This includes meters which are installed to active customers but may not be buying power and are deemed as illegal connections. This also includes meters which have been connected without verification by PNG Power.
PNG Power has developed an Early Retirement Package Program with great benefit for its employees who have are in the early retirement age bracket of 50-59 years. This is an important initiative for the company to manage its aging workforce and at the same time an opportunity to attract young, vibrant and energetic workforce and put in place talent with a new mindset and culture into the business. There have been a lot issues raised in the mainstream and social media about the customer service and performance levels of PNG Power employees. Having an active workforce with dedication and commitment is critical to drive business to meet customer expectations.
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On Friday 23 April, the New Zealand High Commissioner, H.E Phillip Taula and PNG Power Managing Director, Mr. Flagon Bekker, signed the Contract for Works for the Enga Electrification Project, which clears the path for construction to commence on the Ramu Grid extension.Jointly funded by New Zealand and Australia under the five-nation PNG Electrification Partnership announced during the November 2018 APEC Leaders Meeting in PNG, and implemented by PNG Power Limited (PPL), this PGK50 million project extends the Ramu grid into the Tsak Valley in the Wapenamanda District of Enga Province. The project will connect up to 5,500 rural households, schools, health centres, government offices and businesses within 500 metres of the main transmission lines.
State Owned Enterprise, PNG Power Limited, recently hosted a Power Sector Forum witth Independent Power Producers to discuss next steps in the reform of electricity costs in the country. At this event, the first of its kind, PNG Power’s Managing Director, Flagon Bekker, announced that after a detailed analysis of all feasible options for least cost generation of electricity for grids in the country, PNG Power was giving notice to all Independent Power Producers that their power purchase agreements were being closely reviewed. He emphasised, “We do not see this as a meeting between PNG Power and IPPs but rather between the people of PNG and the power producers.”
First off, a very happy new year to all our customers and welcome back from your holidays! POM Distribution Transformer - Early Monday morning, Port Moresby city experienced a total power outage on its grid at 5.00am. Our maintenance crews immediately kick-started the restoration process while also identifying the fault to be at our Waigani Substation. Most parts of the city were eventually restored by 9am. As we speak, we are currently still working on this Transformer (Equipment) Failure which is probably caused by excessive tap changing cycles. The tap changer is a critical part inside a Transformer of this type – like the gearbox in your car.
In the recent weeks, there have been various articles and discussions in both the mainstream media and social media concerning the repeated system outage restoration performance issues on our power grids around the country. Recent one being last night in Port Moresby where were we experienced a total system outage which affected power supply and the restoration process. PNG Power acknowledges that this is not an acceptable level of performance and we have been and will always continue to work hard to restore service as quickly and as safely possible. We also acknowledge that we are experiencing significant technical challenges across all power sector business units. As is well documented, they are mostly due to the challenge of our ageing infrastructure coupled with the transition as we work on targeted investment projects to improve the reliability and availability of the affected assets.
I hereby clarify misleading statements by the PNG Energy Workers Association on the announcement of the new Managing Director for PNG Power Limited. On the onset, the appointment of a Managing Director as the lead role is critical for any business ensuring that it is someone with the right competency and the cost is always budgeted. While sourcing for the Managing Director role, key competences specific to the industry include strong leadership, qualification and extensive experience in commercial, energy engineering, undertaken successful reform in the energy sector and appreciation of local culture. It is baseless to claim that these prerequisites in the ideal candidate were not considered.
I am pleased to announce that PNG Power now has a duly appointed Managing Director, Mr Flagon B Bekker, who was appointed by the National Executive Council, following a thorough and compressive recruitment process facilitated by Kumul Consolidated Holdings and vetted by the PNG Power Board. We welcome Flagon B Bekker, 49 years, to the PNG Power team from Perth, Western Australia. Mr Bekker holds a degree in Electrical Engineering as well as an MBA from Cranfield School of Management, UK. Mr Bekker has over 20 years Energy and Industrial Sectors’ experience, across four (4) global regions including key emerging growth markets such as the Middle East, North Africa/Turkey and Sub-Saharan Africa. He comes to PNG Power with broad Power Sector value chain. He has enjoyed global career making contributions at senior management level before moving to board-level management & sectoral consulting roles with leading regional champions and global industrial multinationals.
