Minister Basil meets with NZ High Commissioner Her Excellency Sue Mackwell

PORT MORESBY: Minister for Communications, Information Technology and Energy, Honorable Sam Basil met with the New Zealand’s High Commissioner to PNG Her Excellency, Sue Mackwell this morning in Port Moresby chancery.

In their meeting HE Mackwell took stock of her government’s assistance to the country especially on technical aspect of APEC policing and protocol, cybersecurity and renewable energy development initiatives which is set to light up 10,600 households for 53,000 people in the country.

In their website, the New Zealand government is funding energy generation and distribution in rural PNG by extending the grids and piloting renewable sources of energy projects and standalone mini-grid distribution.

Urging her government to partner with his energy department in rolling out the rural electrification project in the country, Mr Basil commended the New Zealand government for its initiative in improving the access to electricity from clean and renewableEnergy sources to enable sustainable socio-economic development in the country. He shared with her the challenges his ministry was being faced with to tap into the unutilized renewable energy resource the country possesses.

He added that his Bulolo District had successfully implemented rural communications and rural electrification. The Bulolo MP made mention to her the O’Neill-Abel government’s rural electrification and rural communication projects which the government was driving under his ministry.

He stated that the government was keen on lighting up more than 10, 000 houses across the country in this term of Parliament, adding the quantity can rise should his fellow MPs and governors partner with the government to implement the project