A major power outage is causing widespread disruption in parts of Jiwaka province and the city of Mt Hagen in the Western Highlands province due to a broken conductor on transmission Line L514. Efforts to restore electricity have been hindered by violent actions from disgruntled landowners, PNG Power Limited (PPL) reported today, Sunday 28th of July. The fault, which has left Kudjip feeders and parts of Mt Hagen without power, remains unresolved as PPL technical teams face roadblocks and aggression from local landowners. These barriers have prevented the teams from accessing the site to carry out necessary repairs. "Disgruntled landowners have blocked off the road to the area where the fault is located and resorted to violence towards PPL Team. PPL technical team are unable to access the site to rectify the fault," stated PPL. "PPL team are still liaising with the landowners to allow access." Due to this issue, the Dobel Feeders are undergoing load shedding to balance the load and maintain power usage for customers in critical areas. The affected areas include: Feeders Off: - Kudjip 1: Banz & Kitip - Kudjip 2: Minj Feeders on Load Shedding: - Dobel 1: Teachers College - Dobel 2: Town area & Hospital PNG WB - Dobel 4: Airport/Kagamuga, Kuli Gap & Avi A similar power outage had hit Jiwaka, and parts of Mt Hagen previously in March. PPL had reported then that a major power outage affected Jiwaka and parts of Mt. Hagen, due to a broken conductor on the same transmission Line L514. Again, PPL reported then that the disgruntled landowners had blocked access and resorting to violence had prevented PPL technical teams from fixing the issue. As a result, Dobel feeders were on load shedding to balance the load. According to PPL’s report posted on its official Facebook page on March 31st, landowners had burned a power pole, and continuous rain caused a landslip that snapped a conductor. Affected areas had included various feeders in Mt. Hagen, Jiwaka, and Kundiawa. PPL has reiterated for customers with standby generators and alternate power sources to use them during this outage, further apologizing for any inconvenience, saying it appreciates its customers’ patience and understanding at this time, as the power company continues to work towards a resolution and urges the community to cooperate to restore normalcy.