PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, Jan. 14) - Biodiesel
may soon replace fossil fuel on the Aroma Coast as a new deal to start a
pilot project on coconut bio-diesel was signed on Friday.
PNG Sustainable Energy Limited (PNGSEL), a subsidiary company of PNG
Sustainable Development Program Limited and Aroma Coconut Products
Co-operative was signed to pave the way for bio diesel to be produced
and sold to vehicles in the Aroma Coast.
PNGSEL chief executive officer Peter Martin said the project would go on
for three months in which time they would assess if the project was
viable and worth investing money in it.
[PIR editor's note: The Aroma Coast is located in Papua New Guinea's
Central District.]
He said the project needed commitment from all stakeholders including
the provincial and national governments as well as the villagers to survive.
But acting Prime Minister and Minister for Mining, Lands and Physical
Planning Dr. Puka Temu said after three months, it was time to say "we
(the Government" will fund it and see it grow".
Aroma Coconut Products Cooperative was started by Lama Geno, a staff
member of Kokonas Indastri Koporesen who said during the signing
ceremony that he made a proposal to PNGSEL as he wanted to "see people
have money in their pockets".
He said the project was worth more than PGK100,000 [US$37,000] and more
buildings would go up in the project area to produce more high quality
coconut diesel.
Mr. Martin said there were plans also to rehabilitate coconut
plantations to develop a power station fully operated on coconut bio diesel.
Dr. Temu said the National Government supported any project to develop
clean energy and he told Aroma Coconut Products Co-operative and PNGSEL
to "let us know if there is anything that needs to be done".
Also present at the signing ceremony were PNGSDPL acting chief executive
David Sode, Kokonas Indastri Koporesen managing director Tore Ovasuru,
Central Province Governor Alphonse Moroi and his administrator Raphael
Yibmaramba, officials from PNGSEL and villagers from the Aromas coastline.
Papua New Guinea Post-Courier: www.postcourier.com.pg/
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Check for earlier Pacific Biofuel posts: http://pacbiofuel.blogspot.com/
2 comments:
I am a Samoan who has been looking and researching ideas that could provide jobs for people in my dad's village in Sava'i, Samoa. When I read your article about using coconut oil as an alternative for bio-fuel I was very interested. I think this is what I was looking for. Something that is good for our environment, something that can be grown within this village, and can utilize our manpower. There is a huge acreage, about 1100 acres of land that can be utilized for this project. I need to know who I can talk to to get this going. Will someone please respond.
Ruta Lealaitafea
Dear Ruta,
I work for Samoa Electric Power Corporation (EPC) in the promotion of renewable energy projects. EPC has both ongoing and upcoming projects relating to the use of agricultural crops for biofuel and it would be good to discuss this further with you.
You can email me at edward.langham@epc.ws or call on 65408 (w)/ 7565408 (m)
Kind regards,
Ed
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