Following the recent nationwide Easipay outage, PNG Power Limited CEO Paul Bayly provided an update on the system’s restoration. He confirmed that the company is transitioning the system and its data to local control via a PNG-based data centre.
Bayly said that while the Easipay outage caused disruption across the country, substantial progress has been made in restoring services, with most systems now back online and remaining connections expected to be fully restored in the coming days.
“At this point in time the system is stable and our technical teams continue to monitor performance closely, with further background remediation works ongoing,” Bayly confirmed.
“The bulk of the system is operational and we expect full restoration shortly.”
Bayly said the disruption has highlighted the risks associated with offshore control of critical national infrastructure, and confirmed that PNG Power has taken decisive action to transition Easipay to a PNG-based data centre.
“This transition marks an important step in strengthening the control, reliability, and accountability of one of our most critical customer service systems,” he said.
“Kumul Consolidated Holdings has already invested K1.4 million for the installation of the PPL Oracle ERP System and Recovery Program.”
Bayly said hosting the system in the country is essential to ensure that sensitive customer data is retained within the country and managed under appropriate national safeguards.
“This is a matter of national importance. Critical systems of this nature must be managed within Papua New Guinea to ensure security, responsiveness and long-term sustainability,” he added.
“There will always be sensitivities of a sovereignty nature when engaging with overseas vendors and the personal data of PNG customers. This is an issue that must we worked through carefully in consideration of the requirements of the State and the responsibilities of the vendors.”
He further noted that the transition will deliver broader benefits for PNG Power and the country.
Bayley explained that this move is expected to improve system stability and responsiveness, while also delivering cost efficiencies by retaining more value within Papua New Guinea to support ongoing electricity services and infrastructure.
He acknowledged the inconvenience caused to customers and thanked the public for their patience.
“We recognize the disruption this has caused to our customers and sincerely thank the public for their understanding. This is necessary to ensure a more stable, secure and reliable Easipay service going forward.”
He confirmed that PNG Power is taking control of the Easipay system and will continue strengthening its infrastructure to prevent similar issues in the future.
Since Tuesday, PNG Power’s Information Systems teams have successfully restored operations across most of the network, with remaining sites being progressively brought back online.
To further improve customer service and transparency, PNG Power has also introduced a new customer portal, allowing customers to register claims and track the progress of their cases.
