The Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC) has announced four landmark projects set to transform the economic landscape of Papua New Guinea’s gas-rich Hela Province.
Formalised through key agreements signed in Tari on 17 October, the projects mark a new phase of investment aimed at accelerating development and improving local livelihoods.
The initiatives include a 5MW power supply project from Hides to Tari, the signing and groundbreaking for the Hela Heritage Hotel, the opening of MRDC’s new Tari office, and an annual K1 million funding support from Petroleum Resources Kutubu (PRK) to the Hela Provincial Health Authority.
MRDC Managing Director Augustine Mano said the projects represent a long-awaited milestone in fulfilling the vision of Hela’s leaders and ensuring resource benefits reach the people.
“With ExxonMobil agreeing to provide gas for up to 5MW of power, landowners from the licence area in Hides, Tari town, its surrounds, and other districts of Hela will benefit from the cheapest power in PNG,” Mano said.
“This has been the dream of our leaders like the late Anderson Agiru and Prime Minister James Marape, who was then finance minister when they signed the PNG LNG Gas Agreement in 2009. It has taken a while to deliver because we had to negotiate, but it is finally a reality. I want to thank the leaders involved, and the landowners and Hela people for being patient.”
He said the introduction of reliable and affordable electricity would be a catalyst for further development in Hela.
“Through power, places change. Development happens through investments. Hela will get the cheapest power in all of PNG, and it’s reliable. There will be no blackouts,” he said.
Prime Minister James Marape, who is an MRDC trustee and the local MP for Tari, officiated the groundbreaking for the Hela Heritage Hotel, one of the province’s most significant upcoming investments.
Mano said the hotel, expected to be completed by early 2027, will serve both visitors and locals while promoting and preserving Hela’s distinctive culture.
“The hotel is to be the cultural center of Hela. Hela is beautiful with its unique culture — how do we show it? This hotel will provide the hub so that the culture of Hela must be appreciated, enjoyed, and preserved,” he said.
He added that the Heritage Hotel would create employment, stimulate business opportunities during construction, and complement existing accommodation facilities once operational.
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As part of MRDC’s broader social investment, PRK has committed K1 million annually to the Hela Provincial Health Authority to help attract and retain medical professionals.
“We have many good doctors, but they don’t come to the provinces to work because of many challenges, so they must have incentives. This K1 million is their incentive. We have also done the same for Southern Highlands and Gulf provinces,” Mano said.
MRDC also strengthened its presence in Hela with the opening of a new office at the Hela 2 building complex in Tari. The office will handle landowner-related issues locally, reducing the need for travel to Port Moresby.
“The days of landowners flying to Port Moresby to have their issues addressed are over. We now have an office in Tari to deal with all that. I want to encourage landowners to stay in the province, deal with issues here, receive your royalty and equity benefits here, and spend it here so the Hela economy can prosper,” Mano said.
He also commended Hela Governor Philip Undialu for providing strong leadership, improving law and order, and building critical infrastructure to encourage investment.
Through these new initiatives, MRDC aims to position Hela as a province on the rise—one where resource wealth is being converted into tangible economic growth and lasting prosperity.
