PNG Power Limited will continue to carry out its illegal power disconnection exercise throughout the country, despite complaints from residents especially in Port Moresby city.
Customers have been informed in advance that illegal connection/electricity theft is an offense under the criminal code, over a series of media advertisements and would be prosecuted if caught.
This notice was put out since January this year (2017), and continued on a monthly basis until the actual disconnection exercise took place on the 3rd of this month (October 2017).
Those doing illegal connections should have taken heed of the warning and disconnected power supply to their premises and seen PNG Power for proper connections to be done. Because of their lack of responsiveness and failure to comply, they have to face the consequences.
Due to theft of electricity, PNG Power Ltd is losing revenue for power supplied and so we decided to take decisive and firm action to disconnect supply to places identified as hot-spots.
PNG Power Ltd would like to make it clear that it is NOT disconnecting power supply to legitimate customers who have followed all legal processes to have power supplied to their homes, but to those who are illegally stealing power supply, either by direct connections or meter by-passes.
Customers who pay but have sub-standard installations have also been disconnected. PPL is providing assistance to these customers to correct their installations and be reconnected, to meet standards for safety reasons.
PNG Power Ltd is also disappointed in a Post Courier newspaper report (Thursday 26th October 2017) titled “City residents not happy with PPL’s disconnection exercise,”. The complaints as reported by the Journalist in his story were not verified with PPL.
PNG Power is encouraging citizens to have legal and proper connections.
The Power company said offences would result in big fines being charged with hefty fines imposed.
(Source: PPL Media Statement)
