By GABRIEL KATUHO
MARKHAM MP and Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Koni Iguan, raised his concern in Parliament this week about about the prolonged power outages in his district.
Mr. Iguan said it was sad to see the main transmission lines from Ramu Hydro Scheme passing through his district to Lae but the power supply from the industrial hub was unreliable.
“We only see the tall structures of tower but for the light to reach us is very difficult. The power goes to Lae and is being supplied back to Markham, however the power comes on for two to three days and goes off for two months. If it comes on for one week then it means it will go off for three to four months before the power comes back,” he said.
Mr Iguan appealed to Public Enterprises Minister Duma to raise the matter with PNG Power and enlighten the Markham people about the cause of the unreliable power supply.
Mr Duma said an Indian company was contracted to upgrade the transmission lines from Yonki to Lae but PNG Power was concerned about the contactor’s performance.
“The newly appointed CEO of PNG Power Mr Paul Bayly is trying to terminate the contract because of the performance of the Indian contractor. This project has been delayed for more than two years,” he stated.
The Minister said Mr Bayly was appointed to improve PNG Power’s performance and resolve issues such as the delay in the Ramu to Lae transmission upgrade project, which was being funded under the Japan International Cooperation Assistance (JICA) program.
Mr Duma added that he would ask the new CEO to meet with Mr Iguan to address the power outage issue in Markam.