Global engineering, management and development consultancy SMEC, has been appointed by Enga Hydro Power to deliver a feasibility study for the next phase of the Pilikambi hydropower project in Papua New Guinea. It follows the successful completion by SMEC in July 2019 of a pre-feasibility study, which identified the project’s technical and financial viability.
Enga Hydro Power initiated the project in 2016 under a public-private partnership, working with private investors and the Enga Provincial Government. Once operational, the project will extend rural electrification in the Enga Province by replacing diesel generation with renewable energy. “The development of the project will ensure the availability of reliable renewable energy throughout the grid connected areas, particularly as the Enga Provincial government is constructing a new hospital and other facilities in Wabag town,” said Tilak Battharai, SMEC Manager, Hydropower & Dams Southeast Asia. “The injection of 15-18 MW of power will strengthen the grid reliability between Wabag and Mt. Hagen.”
The contract will include supervision and management of the feasibility-level field investigations, project preliminary designs, drawings and cost estimates for the analysis of the technical and financial feasibility of the project. Upon confirmation of the project’s feasibility, comprehensive environmental and social studies will follow to ensure optimum project configuration.
