By Mickey Kavera – EM TV, Port Moresby
Maprik district in East Sepik province yesterday commissioned its new 500*kva power generator.
Member for Maprik John Simon and retired captain, Tom Ur were present to do the honours, witnessed by the people of Maprik at Bainik Power Station.
The new generator replaces the old 200kva generator. This comes after months of frequent load shedding, resulting in power blackouts in the district.
It is estimated that the new generator can produce 300 megawatts of power, which is enough to power Maprik Town and nearby areas.
Maprik MP John Simon says the full capacity of the generator will be used once all other services, such as the hospital and university, are installed with electricity.
However, he wants to power the whole of Maprik district but the shortage of manpower experienced by PNG Power in Maprik has slowed the rural electrification project in the district.
PNG Power urged locals to respect its workers in Maprik and not to tamper with property on the ground as it has contributed to the high cost of maintaining power supply in the district.
They assured the member that more staff would be brought in to progress work on the rural electrification project.
*A KVA is simply 1,000 volt amps. A volt is electrical pressure. An amp is electrical current.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=iuxcGINpsQQ%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
