By Edwin Fidelis – EM TV, Lae
The Public Enterprises and State Investments Minister, Ben Micha says that the PNG Power State of Emergency is working out as planned.
Minister Micah was in Lae today, to talk to business houses, as part of an information outreach on the SOE.
He says the SOE was the last resort taken by the government to save PNG Power from its ailing state.
At a luncheon in Lae today, the minister announced the progress of the SOE that has dragged into its fourth week.
The move taken by the government was to save the state owned entity from falling into a financial crisis that has accumulated over the years.
But the bid to fix the revenue problem for the state owned company had triggered public criticisms from various business houses, including the opposition.
Over the last two years, Lae, the industrial city, has been hit hard by frequent power blackouts.
Today, the Morobe Governor, Kelly Naru, directed a list of questions to the state investment minister.
Amongst the list, he asked for additional power sources to cater to Lae’s power demands as the city continues to grow.
The minister’s visit to Lae today clarifies the government’s move of establishing the state of emergency on PNG Power.
And that is to recover K138 million of outstanding power bills, and also, to punish those using power illegally.
