Major Rehabilitation Works Under Way at PNG Power's Ramu Hydro Plant

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources Australia (Perth, Australia)--Ramu Hydro Plant, which is owned and operated by PNG Power Limited (Port Moresby, Papau New Guinea), is undergoing major refurbishment and rehabilitation as part of the Yonki Rehabilitation Scheme. In order to meet the electricity demands of Papua New Guinea, PNG Power has embarked on three major projects worth $65.5 million to maximize the value of the existing assets in the Eastern Highlands.

Phase I of the massive improvement program includes the rehabilitation of the 75-megawatt (MW) Ramu 1 Hydro power station. Ramu 1 consists of five hydraulic turbines, each with a 15-MW capacity. The total cost of the project is approximately $23.7 million, with a schedule of three years for completion. The three-year program will include testing and final commissioning of the units to ensure the performance and optimization of the station's capacity. Refurbishment is under way, with each unit scheduled to undergo a three-month shutdown.

PNG Power formed a special-purpose entity called Yonki Hydro Limited to undertake the Yonki rehabilitation project. Yonki Hydro appointed Andritz Hydro Corporation (Charlotte, North Carolina) as primary contractor on the refurbishment project.

Phase II of the project is the construction of "Toe of Dam" Hydro Generation system, which has been under construction since 2009. It experienced delays due to internal issues with contractors, but is now on schedule, with full plant commissioning expected by the end of October 2013. The Toe of Dam hydro plant includes two 9-MW Francis vertical turbines, generating a total capacity of 18-MW.

In order to meet the future market needs of PNG customers, PNG has proposed building a new power house at Yonki. In the third phase of the Yonki rehabilitation and modernization project, the expansion, called Ramu 2 will generate an additional 240-MW.

The new power project is still finalizing feasibility studies worth $18.4 million. PNG Power is seeking investment partners for the $818 million project.

The Ramu Hydro plant was commissioned in 1975, and served as the main source of electricity for 30,000 individual consumers on the Ramu grid for more than 37 years.

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