June 30th 2021
Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has commended Puma Energy for its “workplace safety of the highest standards”.
He was speaking today (Wednesday 30 June 2021) at a ceremony held by Puma Energy at its Napa Napa Refinery, outside Port Moresby, to mark 14-million hours of injury-free time the company had clocked up since becoming operational in PNG after taking over InterOil assets in 2014.
“The hours that you racked up, without any loss of time due to injury, is the best,” PM Marape said.
“Let me, as Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, say thank you very much for ensuring that our reputation is maintained.
“Safety is paramount.”
PM Marape said 14-million hours without an injury was exemplary and of the “highest achievement”.
He also commended and congratulated Puma Energy for putting in place and observing protocols for COVID-19 such as the “workplace bubble”, that had seen the company functioning and serving the country despite spread of the pandemic.
PM Marape said his Government’s major focus, going into the future, was lower costs of power and fuel in the country.
“We’re looking for business partners that could assist us in filling this gap of finding solutions to lower the cost of fuel and power,” he said.
PM Marape invited Puma Energy to partner with Government in lowering the costs of fuel and power.
“That (lower costs of fuel and power) is no secret,” he said.
“That is the intention of my Government.”
PM Marape said he advocated very strongly for a specific portion of domestic market gas to be converted into cheaper power.
“Let me indicate to Puma Energy that there is space there,” he said.
“Instead of just being an importer of fuel, and reprocessing for our country, we look forward to those who can be serious players in downstream fuel processing.
“We produce oil and gas in our country, yet, we have expensive fuel that is based on Singapore pricing.
“We must have our own pricing here in Papua New Guinea.
“Puma Energy, that is something you could work in your boardroom and see whether you could be a partner of choice for us in that space, moving forward.
PM Marape encouraged PNG’s major refiner and distributor to diversify further and look into processing petroleum and gas from within the country instead of sourcing from outside.
“How can you partner the Government, and Government bodies like Kumul Petroleum, to push out and secure gas for downstream processing?” he said.
“That is something that I’d just like to throw to the table, for your conversation, as we want to add value to our resources going forward.”
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