Shadow Minister for State Enterprise and Member for Jimi Wake Goi made this statement while responding to media reports by the chief of staff of the prime minister’s office, Paul Bengo on the Ggvernment’s decision to ban the heavy oil fuel.
The decision to ban heavy oil fuel in the country was raised by the Post-Courier after allegations surfaced about the InterOil company using Minister for Petroleum and Energy William Duma to sponsor a submission before the NEC to ban the fuel for its own InterOil fuel.
Goi said while the government’s decision to ban the imports of heavy oil fuel into the PNG economy was to push for cleaner fuel supplies in the fight to avert global warming, the decision would affect the economy.
He said the government should have considered the fact that 30 percent of the electricity provided by PNG Power to Port Moresby is supplied by the heavy fuel fired generators.
“These generators will be non-operational as soon as their current supply of fuel and runs out in a few weeks time and then it will be very difficult to supply the whole of Port Moresby,” Goi said.
He said it would be a disaster for the businesses and residents of Port Moresby and for most of the towns in the country, especially the island towns that use heavy diesel fuel generators for electricity.
