“Owned and operated by independent power producer NiuPower, a company jointly owned by Kumul Energy Limited and Oil Search Limited Power Holdings Limited, the Port Moresby Power Station will provide reliable cost efficient power to the capital city,” explains Peter Skindberg, Project Director and Senior Executive for Power and Energy. “It will produce the lowest cost and emissions dedicated grid connected thermal generation in the country, saving tens of millions of Kina annually for the Nation. More importantly, it supports the electrification and development of PNG using the country’s own natural gas.
“WSP has been involved in the project for some time. We were engaged by NiuPower as owner’s engineers from the development phase of the power plant.”
Worth an estimated USD100 million, the power plant is set to generate up to 58 MW of energy, and will be the most efficient thermal plant in the country. Further, it will run on the natural gas supplied from the PNG liquefied natural gas plant located only a few kilometres away.
As part of our role as owner’s engineers, WSP has provided comprehensive services across the project ranging from conception of project development guidelines to review of contractors’ designs and documents for compliance with EPC arrangements and responses to technical queries. We have also undertaken factory inspections and provided document control, system integration and management while assisting with site phase construction and commissioning.
Peter adds, “Natural Gas has become a focal point of energy generation in recent times, including here in Australia and New Zealand, because it is clean, cost effective and safe.
“Set to be online shortly, the power station has been built on the back of a government led initiative implemented in 2011 which aimed to boost private sector investment into the industry.”
Addressing the nation’s unreliable and unaffordable network, the Electricity Industry Policy has set a clear target to make the nation fully carbon neutral by 2050. The Port Moresby Power Station will help PNG reduce power generation CO2 emissions by around 25 per cent per annum through scaling back the use of older diesel and heavy fuel oil-based generation.
Further, in the same period up to 2050, the PNG government hopes to provide a reliable power to at least 70 per cent (up from 13 per cent in 2011) of the nation’s population through its Electricity Industry Policy. Importantly, since the inception of the policy in 2011, the PNG power network has seen USD5 billion worth of proposed investment projects spanning gas, hydropower and renewable sectors.
Peter adds, “The PNG government’s policy is ambitious. Yes, it is aggressive, however it is an incredible step forward for the development of the country and one that will secure its energy future for generations to come. With so much investment proposed for the region, there is an exciting future ahead.”
With an extensive history of developing similar power solutions for local and overseas clients, through utilising our collaborative culture and global expertise, we have provided valuable assistance to projects in New Zealand, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Western Uganda to help them secure their renewable energy future.
To find out more about our experience in this sector, please contact Peter Skindberg here.
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