Author: Emmanuel MAIPE

Despite the increase in energy supply to the Port Moresby power grid, power transmission is letting the people down with the current poor state of power infrastructures.  This has been the case lately with numerous power outages experienced by residents and business house in the nation’s capital city. The latest case was yesterday where a High Voltage Line (HVL) fell at Gerehu Stage two at 2:45pm, which caused the Waigani Feeder 4 to trip causing a blackout in the Gerehu suburb. Some parts were restored later in the afternoon while the rest restored in the evening at around 7pm.   …

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The upcoming inaugural 2020 Sepik Culture and Agriculture Show, apart from it showcasing the Sepik cultures and traditions, will also be a catalyst for the promotion of domestic tourism. Mr. Alois Mateos, who is the owner and operator of Sepik Adventure Tours and President of the Sepik Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said this event has the potential to pull in local tourists, and already his guest house in Wewak town has been fully booked by cultural groups for the event. Mr. Mateos, who was at the official launching of the event in Port Moresby on 14th November said,…

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The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) restructuring exercise will see the office of the Commander and Chief of Staffs restructured and then down to the other branches. Commander Defence Force (CDF) Major General, Gilbert Toropo, announced yesterday that the Office of the Commander will have two deputy Chief of Staff under a new structure: Deputy Chief of Defence Operations and Deputy Chief of Defence Administrations. Toropo said this restructure will take place over the festive season break and will signify the shift from current standard of operation, to moving the defence force to a new level under the “Force…

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The Papindo Trading Company is the first company the Independent Consumer Competition Commission (ICCC) is taking to court over its breach of price regulations under Order 8 on certain goods, during the COVID-19 State of Emergency (SoE) and lockdown periods this year. ICCC Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Paulus Ain, said the Company was found to have increased prices for rice and sugar in their Goroka retail outlets more than 5% without seeking approval from ICCC to do so. The Commission on the 18th of November, filed proceedings in the Waigani District Court against Papindo for failing to…

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When COVID-19 hit the country earlier this year, everything slowed down, and new measures were put in place to ensure safety for everyone. This later affected a lot of things including sporting activities, which saw cancellations or postponements of sporting events and competitions. The AFL code was one of the victims, having to wait for a long while before getting the approval from the National Pandemic Response Controller to go ahead like the other sporting codes. Eventually it did and AFL Port Moresby was one competition that wasted no time to kick things off with a short season, which started…

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Who would have thought so much could ride on an All Blacks Test against Argentina? But this weekend’s game has taken on much more significance given the side’s first ever loss to the Pumas two weeks ago and the fact they’ve lost two tests on the trot – something they haven’t done since 2011. Some All Blacks fans and punters might be baying for Ian Foster’s blood but would getting rid of the All Blacks coach be a short-sighted knee jerk reaction or right move? We’re also talking cricket – the Black Caps international summer gets underway with a three…

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THE oversupply of power into Port Moresby’s power grid has its benefits, one being a reduction of the cost of electricity passed on to customers but benefiting from this will now depend on an improved distribution of electricity provided by PNG Power Ltd (PPL), the state-owned power company. PNG Power Board Chairman Mr. Peter Nupiri, when speaking at the commissioning of the new Dirio Gas and Power plant in central province on Thursday 19th November, said with this oversupply, the company will now be looking at how it can be able to utilize it. “We now need to start looking…

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The newest private power plant, Dirio Gas & Power project in Central province, should boost the electricity supply to the city of Port Moresby after it was launched just recently. It was officially opened on Thursday 19th of November by Prime Minister (PM) James Marape, to start generating electricity using gas supplied from the PNG LNG project. The plant will generate 45 megawatts (MW) of power that will be supplied to the city’s power grid at a rate of 37 toea per kilowatt, which will then be distributed by PNG Power Ltd as per the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between…

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The 2021 National Budget was passed in parliament yesterday in a house consisting mostly of government members, but whether due process was followed or whether if it was legal the way it was passed, is now up to the lawyers of both sides of the house to debate on. The Executive Director of the Papua New Guinea Institute of National Affairs (PNG INA), Mr. Paul Barker, who commented on what unfolded yesterday, said it is true that the proper process was not followed and this was attributed to the situation surrounding the two sides at the moment, which are the…

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