Photo credit: Entura - Rouna 2 Hydropower Station
For development on the Rouna 3 hydropower project in Central, the Japanese government has awarded a K15.6 million grant.
Soroi Eoe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, thanked Japanese Ambassador Nobuyuki Watanabe for the money in Port Moresby.
The K15.6 million donation, according to Ambassador Watanabe, was authorized by the Japanese government in a recent cabinet meeting and will be used to purchase electrical equipment to improve power generation, notably at the Rouna 3 hydropower project.
The award, according to Eoe, would help PNG Vision 2050 achieve its goal of reducing carbon emissions by 90% and generating 100% of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2050.
It will also assist PNG Power in providing low-cost generation to link families as part of the PNG Electrification Partnership and PNG Development Strategic Plan, which aims to connect 70% of households by 2030.
Despite the economic downturn and income contraction caused by the Coronavirus (Covid-19), Watanabe stated that Japan will continue to help PNG. In 2021, Japan offered K1 billion in direct budget support, K34 million in grant assistance for rural electricity, K13 million in grant assistance for construction equipment to support infrastructure development in West Sepik, Manus, Milne Bay, and Enga, and now the grants for Rouna 3 and Tokua Airport.
Watanabe was reassured by Eoe's assurance that the grant funds would be used properly and for their intended purposes.
Reference: The National (1 March 2022). “Japan govt gives K15.6mil for work on hydropower station”.
