MAY 10 2022
Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has fulfilled his promise to landowners of Warangoi in East New Britain to pay them K5 million for use of their land and water for PNG Power Ltd’s Warangoi Hydro Power Project.
PM Marape, when opening the K83 million 10 Megawatt Warangoi Hydro Power Project Major Rehabilitation Project last November, assured landowners that they would be paid the K5 million they wanted for use of their land and water.
The Warangoi landowners had been allowing use of their land and water to supply electricity to East New Britain for the last 39 years without demanding compensation.
The Prime Minister made a first payment of K3 million earlier this year, and paid the outstanding K2 million on Monday (May 9), when launching the Gazelle Agro Industrial Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Kerevat.
The presentation was witnessed by State Enterprises Minister Hon. William Duma, Lands and Physical Planning Minister Hon. John Rosso, East New Britain Governor Hon. Nakikus Konga, Health Minister and Gazelle MP Hon. Jelta Wong, and Kumul Consolidating Holdings Managing-Director Professor David Kavanamur, among other guests.
PM Marape said this intervention by his Government would ensure a reliable supply of electricity throughout East New Britain to grow the economy.
“East New Britain will no longer face electricity problems with this intervention,” he said.
“The currently electricity needs of East New Britain are about 2MW, but completion of the Warangoi project provides you with an excess of electricity.
“That extra electricity is for the tuna industry and for the agriculture industry – especially in downstream processing.
“Seeing processed galip nuts and coconut oil products today warms my heart and assures me that we can go into downstream processing.
“We no longer need to send out raw products from our country, when we can go into downstream processing, with a more-reliable supply of electricity.”
Rehabilitation of the Warangoi project was made possible through the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the GoPNG co-funded Town Electrification Investment Programme, with the contractors being Dongfang Electric Corp and AG Investments JV.
It will boost up the low production of Warongoi hydropower facility, which was originally commissioned in 1983, but has been supplying below its rated capacity of 10MW for the last 10 years into the Gazelle Grid
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