Deputy Opposition Leader and Bulolo MP, Sam Basil, says tariffs should be cut on imported materials used for rural electrification projects in rural Papua New Guinea.
He says 80 per cent of Papua New Guineans live in rural areas, and these people deserve to have a power supply.
Bulolo District has been rolling out rural electrification projects in the area since 2009.
Basil has made a call to reduce tariffs on materials used for supplying rural power projects, with supply an expensive task at present.
“High voltage it costs around K500,000. [This] used to be K200,000 in 2009 when we started, but because we cannot afford three phase, we are only running two phase which is two lines, so it brings down the cost,” Basil said.
“Also, every transformer from 15kva up, it costs more than K15,000 to K20,000 to K30,000, we are also powering houses which cost K3,000 for each which include MSK, three light bulbs and earth wire all the way to the switches,” he added.
The Pangu Pati leader says if tariffs are cut, specifically for rural electrification, Papua New Guineans in the rural areas of the 22 provinces will have low cost power.
“We cannot roll out rural electrification at the cost of the corporate world out there in the urban areas, we have to find some ways to cutting cost so we can roll out those programs, because those people in the rural areas are the reason why Port Moresby and Lae exist,” said Basil.
The launching of electricity supply to Romoron Village in the Bulolo district was also used by the Pangu Pati to introduce their new advisor, Dulciana Somare-Brash.
Last Month, Somare-Brash along with prominent Madang businessman Bryan Kramer and retired PNGDF Commander Jerry Singirok were appointed as Pangu Pati advisors.
