THE POWER and internet issues in Port Moresby in the past two weeks have cost businesses millions as the Manufacturing Council of PNG calls for urgent actions to address the issues.
Chief executive officer of the Manufacturing Council of PNG and Vice-President of Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chey Scovell, reiterated that over the past two weeks, manufacturers, businesses, and residents of Port Moresby have endured more frequent blackouts, severe power fluctuations, and abysmal internet service.
“For businesses, particularly manufacturers, the cost of running and maintaining generators is a significant and ongoing burden.
“Worse still, when power has been available, damaging fluctuations have caused millions of kinas in equipment losses.
“Manufacturing plants and machinery have been burnt out or ruined, with the replacement and repair bills running into the millions, and the loss of time and productivity many times greater.
“Rather than simply announcing more generation capacity, we urgently need a serious allocation of funds to rehabilitate the Port Moresby and Lae power grids,” Mr Scovell said.
Mr Scovell said businesses are willing and able to pay for reliable electricity, but they need to be able to access it.
The number one goal for Kumul Consolidated Holdings should be that, within the next 2–3 years, no business or resident should need a backup generator or water tank. The issue remains the same as businesses not only within Port Moresby but other centres are suffering.
“The internet has been equally unacceptable. When it works, it is barely functional. These ‘last mile’ delivery issues have dragged on for too long.”
Mr Scovell said the Coral Sea Cable is using less than 1 per cent of its capacity, yet residents, businesses, and even the telcos and ISPs themselves are effectively being held to ransom.
“As with power, the loss of time and productivity over the past two weeks of substandard service has cost our capital tens of millions of kina.”
He said electricity and internet failures are strangling the capital’s economy.
“At a time when we should be driving economic growth, stagnation and decline in the performance of our State-Owned Enterprises is crippling progress.
“We’ve heard a year’s worth of talk about reforms, yet these past two weeks have shown that, as we approach our 50th Independence, there is little evidence of real improvement.”
“The members of our Council, the Chamber, and the thousands of families who depend on our industries are calling for urgent action.
“The internet issue could be fixed quickly, let Starlink enter the market freely. This would set a competitive benchmark price for all providers and remove unnecessary intermediaries,” he said.
He said DataCo’s role as a middleman must end. Telcos and ISPs should be able to buy wholesale access directly from the source.
“It’s time to stop making excuses, cut the bottlenecks, and deliver the reliable power and internet our people and economy deserve.