Director of the Gas Project Coordination office Peter Koim said the paperwork to ensure the Papua LNG engineering will be ready in the coming week.

“I think we are expecting the Papua LNG front-end and end engineering design very soon, most likely it will coincide with the independence celebrations,” he said.

Director Koim spoke to the media after the government renewal of his employment for another four years at Government House.

“Once the project feed is announced, then they will announce the final investment decisions and move into construction,” he said.

He was involved in the Pynang, Pasca A and Stanley Gas Condensate project in the Western province.

All four projects are on the radar for commercialisation.

Mr Koim said, “Once we have those projects up and running, we hope to see most of our young people running around employed in different capacities. “

“These are billion-dollar projects and they will create a lot of employment, development and economy for the country,” he added.

The Gas Coordination office facilitates all the new LNG gas project negotiations and after the gas agreements are signed, proceeds on monitoring the implementation of the projects.

These include front-to-end engineering design as well as the conclusion of construction before the Department of Petroleum takes over.

Mr Koim continued, “With all the world energy prices going up, we stand to benefit from these developments”.

“Going forward I will be monitoring the implementation of the signed gas agreements which is Papua LNG and Pynang LNG projects”.

Key stakeholders of the Real Estate Industry in PNG have endorsed a draft report that will be presented to Government to review later this year.

In a seminar held in Port Moresby last week, the stakeholders including the Constitution and Law Reform Commission (CLRC) highlighted the urgent challenges surrounding the industry.

These include the lack of strong policy, legislative framework, outdated laws and overlapping administrative and regulatory functions.

CLRC Secretary Dr Mange Matui said PNG’s Real Estate Industry has huge economic potential but the regulatory regime is weak, disjointed and loose to enable the industry to unleash its potential.

“As a result, the real estate industry has been subsumed to the whims of market forces, creating unjust outcomes,” he said.

The report also highlights other associated issues on political interference and bureaucratic corruption, mismatch in supply and demand, income disparity, high costs, urbanization, migration and settlements, land scarcity and accessibility, informal home rent business, lack of skilled labour, quality of construction materials and poor designs and decentralizations.

All these are experienced throughout the country, especially in urban areas like Port Moresby where land grabbing, illegal settlements and high costs of substandard housing are on the rise.

Dr Matui added the recommendations address the issues legally, economically, administratively, and socially in terms of a proper policy.

“The recommendations are basically about how we as a country bring together the different pieces of laws, policies and functions of different key players in the industry to properly and effectively manage, coordinate, and regulate the industry for the ultimate gain,” Matui said.

The report will be presented to NEC towards the end of the year.

PNG Power Limited (PPL) has confirmed that water levels at its Yonki Dam catchment have reached a critical level due to an unusually dry season experienced in the area.

The reduced water levels have forced PNG Power to decrease generating capacity and carry out load shedding on the Ramu Grid, which supplies power to Lae, Madang and the Highlands Provinces.

The Ramu Hydropower Station is operating at 35% of its total generation capacity, due to the reduced water levels in the reservoir. PPL is accelerating projects to rehabilitate alternate power generating supplies, to reduce the need for load shedding. However, load shedding will continue until water levels improve substantially and generating capacity can return to normal operations.

Similar issues are occurring at Sirinumu Dam in Port Moresby, supplying the Rouna Hydropower Station and the river system feeding the Warangoi Hydropower Station in East New Britain.

Meanwhile, Independent Power Producers (IPP) are continuing to meet generating capacity shortfalls, especially in Lae with Posco Daewoo (Munum Power Station) and PNG Forest Products through their Baiune Power Station.

PNG Power is appealing to the general public to be mindful of water use and to conserve and ration water supplies when possible. The situation is unlikely to improve in the short term.

Air Niugini and PNG Air have suspended all flights into Nadzab and Kiunga starting tomorrow (1^st September).  

This follows a notice from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to the National Airports Corporation for failure to compile and meet administrative regulations.

NAC Managing Director, Rex Kiponge said CASA had accused NAC staff of not completing the Fit and Proper Person Test, which was an administrative matter.

“To put on record, the Airport Manager for Nadzab had passed the FPP Test and was certified by CASA. While for Kiunga, the Airport Safety Manager has submitted his application for FPP Test which is with CASA awaiting schedule of his test,” said Kiponge.

This afternoon, PNG Air issued a statement saying the suspension of flights will remain indefinite because airport regulation works on resolving this issue relates to both aerodromes. While Air Niugini stated it will resume services as soon as the airports are reopened by CASA.

Meanwhile, Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation Walter Schnaubelt has confirmed that both airports will be closed starting tomorrow. The Minister said an update will be posted tomorrow (1st, September) and has urged CASA and NAC to solve the issue swiftly.

A policeman in Kimbe was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison for the death of a known criminal.

29-year-old Darryl Yakali from Avatip in the Ambunti-Drekikier District of East Sepik Province was convicted on the charge of murder on the 22nd of August, 2022.

The National Court in Kimbe heard that on 25th June 2020, Yakali and other policemen went searching for Dale Benny at Section 15 Area.

Between 4:30 pm-5 pm, they saw Benny Torua, Dale Benny’s father. Yakali spoke to Benny and told him to bring his son to the police station the next day with K500. Soon after, gunshots were heard around that same area. Dale Benny was shot and injured and taken to the hospital. He later died that evening. 

Yakali had pleaded not guilty but admitted to shooting Dale Benny in the defence of self-accident. However, the court found that there was no evidence to support Yakali’s belief.

From the post-mortem report submitted in court as evidence, Dale Benny sustained fractures to his left and right lower bones in the leg (tibia) and both his artery had been severed.

Yakali also argued that the deceased was listed in the most dangerous person category of the Kimbe Police.

Dale Benny was said to be involved in an armed robbery at Biala and was arrested on 19th August 2019. However, while in police custody, he escaped through the cell ceiling. Whilst on the run, Benny was said to have broken into JJ Mart in Kimbe Town and Yakali was tasked as the case offer to that case.

Benny was also said to have had countless cases of phones and bilums snatching and attempts to catch him were unsuccessful because he was harboured by his community.

Justice Panuel Mogish in his judgement said, despite the deceased being a Person of Interest to the Police, he was entitled to the full protection of the law.

“The offender was a policeman at the time of the offence. He held a position of trust to the community he served and that was to protect life and property. He abused that trust when he killed the deceased,” said Mogish.