Picture from left to right: Dr. Genevieve Nelson, Mr. Luke Liria, Mr. Peter Koim, Mr. Francis Kunuma and Mr. Kori Chan
One of the highlights of the second day of the PNG Energy Summit discussions on the 21st of September was how the energy sector could contribute toward local content and the development of local small to medium enterprises for the future.
Present for the panel of discussions were Mr. Kori Chan, Managing Director of Total Waste Management Group (TWM); Mr. Francis Kunuma, Cofounder of Nares Engineering Ltd.; Mr. Luke Liria, Corporate Affairs Executive General Manager, Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited; Mr. Peter Koim, Director PNG Gas Projects Coordination Office; and the moderator, Dr. Genevieve Nelson, Chief Executive Officer of Kokoda Track Foundation.
Both Nares Engineering and Total Waste Management Group being 100-percent locally owned companies participating in the LNG project, elaborated more on the services they provided.
TWM is currently the leading total waste management and environmental service provider in PNG, while Nares Engineering provides non-destructive testing (NDT) that includes x-ray, ultrasonic, magnetic particle, dye penetrant, and macro testing methods, as well as statutory inspection services.
Mr. Chan and Mr. Kunuma, in response to a question by Dr. Nelson on the challenges they faced as local companies, asked the government to explore investing in the future of a skilled trained workforce, as to correlate to international standards and meet the demand in the energy sector in terms of skills and development.
Mr. Liria spoke on the current achievement of Kumul Petroleum’s social investment projects in the country. These include the training of skilled technicians through its Kumul Petroleum Academy, in which ExxonMobil PNG is a major sponsor for on-the-job employment and skills.
The other proposed project is the steel fabrication facility and construction training academy, which will employ more Papua New Guineans. Another major project includes support for health and sports; so far K65 million has been spent on cancer facilities in Mendi, Angau, and Port Moresby General Hospital.
Closing off the panel discussions, Mr. Koim spoke of the importance of the government providing an avenue for landowners to participate meaningfully in the energy sector. As the resources are currently nonrenewable, both the landowners from the gas project areas and different stakeholders must participate in its development, he said.
