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The French Ambassador to Papua New Guinea spoke highly of Franco-PNG relations during the French National Day celebrated in Port Moresby on July 14. French National Day or Bastille Day is celebrated worldwide and in Papua New Guinea saw a grand event held at the Marriott Executive Desk venue, presided over by French Ambassador HE Guillaume Lemoine and his wife Olivia. Lemoine reflected on the past year’s accomplishments in Franco-PNG relations, recalling the momentous visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Papua New Guinea in July 2023. Macron’s symbolic walk with Prime Minister Marape in Variarata Park highlighted the visit, which Lemoine described as "a profound moment in bilateral relations." "The frequent meetings between President Macron and Prime Minister Marape—five times in less than 13 months between the APEC Summit of Bangkok in November 2022 and the COP in Dubai last December—underscore the deepening relationship between our nations. It shows how France values the relation with Papua New Guinea. It shows how Papua New Guinea values France as a global player and a nation of the Pacific," he said. The ambassador also highlighted the economic and development achievements of the past year. He pointed to the progress of the Papua LNG project, led by TotalEnergies, which has been a cornerstone of the economic cooperation between the two countries. Additionally, he noted Air Niugini’s significant investment in modernizing its fleet with 11 new Airbus A220 aircraft. Other French companies like Easy Skill, AcquaTerra Food, Vinci, CMA-CGM, and Dassault Aviation were recognized for their contributions and sponsorship of the Bastille Day event. In terms of development, the ambassador highlighted the launch of a Country Package for PNG dedicated to the conservation and protection of forests, nature, and climate. This initiative includes a pledge of at least 100 million USD for funds and projects aimed at benefiting local communities. Lemoine praised Papua New Guinea’s proactive engagement in this partnership, describing the country as “one of the most advanced of this innovative model of partnership,” mentioning that potential funding pledges would be announced at the upcoming COP in Cali or Baku later this year. Another key announcement was the recent establishment of the French Development Agency or AFD’s office in Port Moresby under the leadership of Benoit Chassatte. This new office will play a vital role in strengthening bilateral ties and facilitating new development projects. Lemoine also noted the advancements in military cooperation between France and PNG, underscoring a mutual commitment to regional security. “Of course, the bilateral relation between France and PNG will continue to improve on different areas of cooperation, also thanks to the increase in the staff of the embassy,” he affirmed. He also invited attendees to look forward to the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Games, emphasizing its potential to promote the values of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, and the Olympic principles of Excellence, Respect, and Friendship. “We hope that the Olympic spirit will spread on and off the field of play, to inspire athletes and spectators alike, but not only, also among the whole world,” he said, underscoring the opening ceremony and calling it “an amazing show.” The ambassador also announced his forthcoming departure from PNG. He expressed pride in the achievements of his tenure and gratitude for the strong bilateral relationship that has developed. “I am happy and proud of the work that has been accomplished since I arrived,” he said. Representing the Government of Papua New Guinea, Acting Prime Minister John Rosso was also present, along with Defence Chief Philip Polewara, German Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office Katja Keul, members of parliament, the diplomatic corps, the French community, business leaders, non-government organizations, and friends.  

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ossberger, the German hydro-industry experts, has provided PNG Business News with this feature story that originally came out in Zek Hydro magazine’s May 2024 issue. Ossberger has supplied and installed 19 mini-hydropower turbines throughout PNG, mostly in rural districts, since the 1960s. The company likewise provided the hydropower systems for PNG Power's Hargy 1 & Hargy 2. It believes the technology featured in this story applies to the country as well. The South African farmer Michael Vermaak has become a loyal and regular customer for Ossberger, the German hydro-industry experts. Since 2008, three small hydropower plants have been built on the expansive Klipfontein farm in the village of Cookhouse. All three have been equipped with comprehensive Ossberger electromechanical packages. The latest plant went online for the first time in September 2023 with another one of Ossberger’s high-performance technology packages – including a crossflow turbine with a bottleneck capacity of 412 kW, and all the electrical fittings and control equipment. Furthermore, at the oldest plant all the control technology was updated. Resultantly, all three power plants can now operate as island solutions or in parallel grid operation – and each one is equipped with black-start capabilities. Anyone in South Africa self-sufficient enough to meet their own electricity needs with a proprietary power plant can count themselves very lucky. So-called ‘load-shedding’ is part of everyday life for around 60 million inhabitants in the southernmost country on the African continent. Power cuts can last up to twelve hours, with entire regions and cities being taken offgrid. According to ESKOM, the state-owned energy supplier, South Africa’s power supply would collapse completely without loadshedding. Corroborative media reports suggest that a major reason for the problematic situation is the generally desolate state of the country’s energy infrastructure, resulting from decades of mismanagement and corruption. KLIPFONTEIN FARM IS SELF-SUFFICIENT Having taken matters into his own hands in 2008, building a small hydropower plant on his extensive Klipfontein Farm property in the village of Cookhouse, Eastern Cape Province, the nationwide energy supply problem is no longer a cause for concern for Michael Vermaak. The plant utilises the hydro-energetic potential of an irrigation canal branching off from the local Fish River, and supplies water to a number of farms. Acquisition of additional properties enabled the operator to expand his farm and led to increased demand for energy. In response, in 2018 a second hydropower plant was built and commissioned, and in September 2023 a third plant went into operation. OSSBERGER SUPPLIES RELIABLE SOLUTIONS Ossberger crossflow turbines have been in use worldwide for over 100 years and the expertise of these German industry specialists was the operator’s first choice from the first plant on; and for the full range of technical hydropower plant infrastructure – machine sets, hydraulic steel structures, electrical fittings and control technology. Christian Habermann, Ossberger’s Technical Director explained: “Generally, South Africa is a favourable market for us, and in our experience, Ossberger turbines are particularly appreciated by operators of systems on irrigation channels as on Klipfontein Farm. The objective for a basic crossflow turbine is not to harvest the last possible percentage point of its efficiency potential, but to deliver electricity reliably and uncomplicatedly. This is the core characteristic of our solutions and, ultimately, something our customers consider to be particularly important.” A maximum of 2,500 l/s of expansion water for the new power station is discharged at the inlet area of the irrigation canal, and channelled to the underground machine room via a penstock.   The small hydropower plants in Cookhouse generate electricity for energy-intensive agriculture, and to feed into the public grid. A significant proportion of the electricity generated is directed to a pumping station with several variable-speed pumps. The station is used mainly during the night to fill a reservoir excavated from a hillside for the irrigation of surrounding farmland.   The small hydropower plants in Cookhouse generate electricity for energy-intensive agriculture, and to feed into the public grid. A significant proportion of the electricity generated is directed to a pumping station with several variable-speed pumps. The station is used mainly during the night to fill a reservoir excavated from a hillside for the irrigation of surrounding farmland. The pump station receives electricity from the small hydropower plants and is equipped with a whole battery of variable-speed water pumps to fill the reservoir.   MULTI-MODAL OPERATING EQUIPMENT The first plant, built in 2008, was designed purely for island operation. Now, however, all three power plants can operate in island and grid-parallel modes, and all have black-start capabilities. Ossberger’s scope of delivery for the latest hydropower plant in Klipfontein consisted of the crossflow turbine, gearbox and synchronous generator, the flywheel, the butterfly valve and all electrical and I&C equipment. The horizontally-fed crossflow turbine is designed to achieve a discharge water volume of 2.5 m³/s with a net head of around 20 m, for a bottleneck output of 412 kW under full load conditions. Drive water for the turbine is provided via an underground penstock pipeline connected to a newly-built inlet on the irrigation canal. No separate screen cleaning machine was installed at the inlet area. However, Christian Habermann explained that, if required, such a machine could be retrofitted without great effort. After driving the turbine, the headrace water is returned to the diversion channel and, after a short distance, flows into the Fish River. Plant construction took around a year and was completed in autumn 2023. The operator and several local companies played an active role in the plant construction phase. The machine building is completely subterranean, and assembly of the electromechanical equipment and cabling laying were tasks conducted by local labour teams. Ultimately, the power plant was commissioned in September 2023 under the supervision of an Ossberger technician. THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER Operation of the state-of-the-art system is fully automatic. The control system can be accessed using touch panels installed in the machine buildings, or accessed online via smartphones and PCs. As well as being experts in the construction of turbines, the German all-rounders at Ossberger demonstrated their hydropower expertise by providing the full scope of control technology for the plant network. “In the course of order implementation it was also necessary to modernise the electrical engineering in the oldest power plant. As a result, all three plants can now generate electricity individually, or combine automatically to form a completely synchronised network, depending on the current requirements”, Ossberger’s Area Sales Manager Markus Sauerbeck told us. Christian Habermann summarised: “The entire project went very smoothly, and coordination and communication were flawless. It was definitely of benefit to be familiar with each other from previous projects, and to be able to form a well-oiled team. We are certainly in a good position to implement further projects in the field of agricultural or municipal irrigation systems. The Cookhouse project is a good example of how an existing irrigation channel can now be used three times to generate clean electricity.”

It is anticipated that following the endorsement of the National Agritourism Policy, the parties will work together to facilitate investment in the agritourism sector. This includes the development and marketing of existing agritourism products to create niche markets and attract tourists. The Secretary for the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, Dr. Sergie Bang, has hailed the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) as a significant milestone for the agriculture sector. He emphasized that the collaboration aligns with the newly launched National Agriculture Sector Plan 2024-2033, which aims to transform subsistence farming into commercial farming and entrepreneurship.  Dr. Bang noted that agritourism development will play a crucial role in achieving these objectives by providing additional revenue for farm owners and strengthening self-sustaining, resilient communities. During the event, Dr. Bang highlighted the shared commitment to facilitating regional consultations and comprehensive stakeholder engagement in the policy formulation process. By collaborating with relevant agencies, the partnership aims to efficiently achieve the MOU’s objectives and drive the transformation of the agriculture sector to empower healthy and prosperous agricultural communities. The MOU is set for an initial period of three years, setting the stage for a path to harness Papua New Guinea’s agricultural potential to boost tourism. Through this partnership, both TPA and DAL are committed to developing a vibrant agritourism sector that will contribute significantly to the country’s economic development.

The countdown is on for The 2024 Regulators Summit from 30th to 31st July at Stanley Hotel in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, with the theme, “Interoperability: Connect and Co-create.” The Investment Promotion Authority of PNG and the Department of Information, Communication and Technology informed business houses, key stakeholders, regulatory agencies, government departments, development partners, foreign missions, legal and accounting firms, private sector networks, and peak bodies on the hosting of the Summit. In a press briefing at the IPA headquarters, the two agencies said they value inputs from private sector and industry bodies at this significant event through feedback and critiques on how regulations are affecting the country’s business environment. The outcomes and appropriate recommendations from the Summit will be presented to the Government and relevant agencies. The Summit will center on enhancing cooperation among regulatory agencies and improving the regulatory environment for businesses. IPA Managing Director Mr. Clarence M. Hoot explained: “We will be concentrating on how agencies can work together more effectively to streamline regulatory processes and support business growth.” Mr. Hoot expressed IPA’s enthusiasm for hosting the summit, stating: “We are excited to invite both local and international stakeholders to this year’s Regulator Summit.” “Our aim is to create a platform where regulators and the private sector can come together to discuss regulatory frameworks and their impact on business operations.” The 2024 Summit will follow the success of the first Regulator Summit held in 2019. Reflecting on the inaugural event, Mr. Hoot noted: “In 2019, we were encouraged by the strong interest from government regulators and private sector representatives. The summit demonstrated the need for ongoing dialogue between these two crucial groups.” The event will feature a diverse range of international speakers, including representatives from the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Professor Chan from the University of New South Wales. International experts, development partners, key regulatory agencies, and the academia will also speak at the Summit. These experts will share global best practices and discuss how other economies handle regulatory challenges. “We are bringing in experts from around the world to provide insights on successful regulatory practices and to help us benchmark against international standards,” said Mr. Hoot. The summit will include sessions with local regulatory agencies and private sector practitioners. Mr. Hoot emphasized: “We will facilitate discussions where businesses can raise concerns and offer practical criticisms aimed at improving the regulatory framework.” “This is not just about talking but also about finding actionable solutions,” he added. “Our goal is to move beyond mere discussions and to produce a set of recommendations that can be presented to the National Executive Council for further action.” “We are pleased to partner with DICT on this initiative, as their expertise in information technology is crucial for achieving our goal of regulatory interoperability.” Mr. Kamis Yalakun, Manager of the Investment Promotion Unit, also stated the importance of having international expert speakers presenting on the best models that other world economies are using to automate their system compared to PNG. According to a country diagnosis study in 2013 on doing business and trading across borders, most of the PNG government system regulations are not streamlined, leading to the state losing millions in revenue. The IPA also plans to manage attendance through a registration process to ensure the participation of the most relevant stakeholders. “While the event is open to all interested parties, we will be controlling registrations to maintain a focused, productive environment,” explained Mr. Yalakun. Government agencies and regulators attending the summit include PNG Customs, Internal Revenue Commission (IRC), NAQIA, PNG Ports, National Capital District Commission (NCDC), BPNG and other regulatory agencies. Mr. Hoot said: “As we go through these challenging economic times, it is vital that we harness these opportunities for dialogue and cooperation. The outcomes of this summit will have far-reaching benefits for both the government and the business community.” Participation in this event is strictly by registration and confirmation from IPA. Registration details are available through the IPA’s website, and inquiries can be directed to the designated contacts for the summit. For more information, please visit the Investment Promotion Authority’s official website or contact the event coordinators listed below: Mr Kamis Yalakun, Email: kyalakun@ipa.gov.pg Ms Dorothy Mokoko, Email: dmokoko@ipa.gov.pg Ms Beverly Piawu, Email: beverlyp@ipa.gov.pg