Papua New Guinea (PNG) will continue with production and investments in the resource sector for energy supply despite the world making efforts to transition to a more cleaner and greener energy sources in the future. This, Prime Minister (PM) James Marape said is because the LNG is a more cleaner source of energy than the other hydrocarbons and also the government is venturing into potential clean energy sources that the country can tap into in the near future. Although the global community is transitioning, PM Marape said there will still be some major economies out there that will still demand for gas for energy production, hence until the world makes a drastic switch to green energy, the demand for LNG will continue to exist. This, he said means that there is still more space for investments in the resource sector of Papua New Guinea. Therefore, he is urging foreign investors to look into potential areas to develop. The upcoming Papua LNG project and the other gas projects in the pipeline to be developed, is a testimony of this. Nevertheless, PM Marape stated that the clean energy sources are also available in the country such as hydro, wind and thermal energies that investors can also tap into to generate. "We are ready to promote all forms, including green energy," said the PM. Meanwhile, PNG is in a strategic location in the Asia Pacific region and is able to continue to meeting the demands of the Asian market with energy supply. The PM made this statement at the official opening of the 2023 Petroleum and Energy Conference this morning at the Hilton Hotel, Port Moresby.

It's finals time for the Moni Plus Port Moresby AFL 2023 Premiership Cup challenge with the major semi- final and the preliminary final scheduled for next weekend at the Colts Oval. Port Moresby AFL Association President, Mr. Douglas Lai said the major semi- final match will be between the Gereka Bombers and the Gordons Kokofas, while the preliminary final will be played out between the Gerehu Magpies and the Lamana Dockers. “The winner of the major semi- final will advance to the grand final and the looser will play winner of the preliminary final. The looser of the preliminary final will bow out of the series,” said the president. The major semi- final along with the minor semi- final matches will take place on the 23rd of September, while the preliminary final will be played out on the 30th of September. The grand final will be played out on the 07th of October. Meanwhile, the Port Moresby AFL Association will not be holding any matches this weekend in respect to the date of the country’s independence and also celebrate the country’s 48th Independence Anniversary.

President Joe Biden will mark the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington at a memorial ceremony in Alaska with members of the military, first responders and their families, the White House said Monday. The commemoration will take place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage and is expected to include units from the Air Force, the Army, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserves and others. Biden will stop in Alaska while returning from the Group of 20, or G-20, summit of world leaders in New Delhi, India. Before arriving in Alaska, Biden plans to travel to Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sept. 10 and meet with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other key leaders to discuss ways to deepen cooperation between the United States and Vietnam, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. The leaders will explore opportunities to promote the growth of a technology-focused Vietnamese economy, expand ties through education exchanges and workforce development programs, combat climate change and increase peace, prosperity and stability in the region, Jean-Pierre said. Nearly 3,000 people died when terrorists hijacked planes and flew them into the World Trade Center’s twin towers in New York City and the Pentagon outside of Washington on Sept. 11, 2001. Another hijacked plane believed to be headed for the U.S. Capitol crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all 44 people on board. Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will participate in a commemoration ceremony at National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City. First lady Jill Biden will lay a wreath at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial to honor the lives lost on 9/11. Source:ustoday.com

The next major Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project in the country, the Papua LNG project, is on track and is progressing well and true into its construction phase in 2024. That was the assurance given by Prime Minister (PM) James Marape when stating that the LNG Project is on target for its Final Investment Decision (FID), after his recent meeting with the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TotalEnergies, Patrick Jean Pouyanne in Paris, France. "Mr. Pouyanne assured me that the US$12 billion Papua LNG Project is on course to commence construction next year, following the FID, which will constitute a substantial boom to our economy," PM Marape asserted. Drawing a parallel with the previous PNG LNG project, he further stated that the construction phase of PNG LNG cost US$19 billion (K66 billion) and the government anticipates a similarly transformative impact on the country’s economy with Papua LNG, as the construction activities gain momentum. "Our records show GDP increased from K31.5 billion in 2008 to K47.7 billion in 2013 due to the PNG LNG project. We anticipate a similar trajectory for Papua LNG starting from 2024 onwards." The PM is committed to providing comprehensive support across all sectors to ensure the timely progress of the project, with a target of achieving the first gas production in 2027. "We are fully committed to expediting the process, including social mapping, landowner studies, and the expansion of opportunities for local businesses to thrive," Marape declared. On that note, Marape issued a directive to the ministers for education and higher education, urging them to initiate training programs for 5,000 individuals, including those from Gulf, Karamui in Chimbu, Okapa in Eastern Highlands, and other Grade 12 school leavers. These programs will focus on skills such as welding, plumbing, carpentry, cooking, and industrial assistance, aligning with the workforce requirements during the forthcoming Papua LNG construction phase. "Our existing technical colleges in Lae, Madang, Goroka, Mt Hagen, Port Moresby, Kokopo, and other locations will be utilized for short-term courses in November, December, and January, taking advantage of campus vacancies during this period," Marape explained. “The government's proactive approach and strong commitment to the Papua LNG Project reflect our dedication to fostering economic growth and providing opportunities for our citizens.”

The Hela Provincial Government has presented to the State its Position Paper containing its development aspirations and plans of receiving benefits, pertaining to the power supply from Hides in Hela, to the New Porgera Mine in the Enga province. Hela Governor, Philip Undialu, said Hela is a key partner to the development of the Porgera Mine, having supplied 70megawatt of power for the last 30 years and now with the gas to power generation from Hides PDL 1 area, it adds to the continued electricity supply that would see the gold mine, when reopened soon, continues to benefit from it and progress with the mining of gold in the Porgera Valley. “About 70 kilometers of power line runs from Hides in my province into Porgera,” said the Hela Governor. With the gas- to- power added to the supply to Porgera, this has now resulted in new arrangements for all parties involved including the provincial government, which has resulted in the Position Paper being handed over to the Mining Minister, Sir Ano Pala. There are sixteen issues that the provincial government has put together on behalf of the four Hela Stakeholders directly impacted by this project arrangement. However, Mr. Undialu said all these issues have been bunched up together and put into two main options in the Position Paper and handed over to the State to go through. “All the issues are straight forward, most of them a legacy issues.” The Position Paper is part of the Development Forum process for the Porgera Mine, which was launched recently in Wabag Town, Enga. Every party involved in this project has handed in their Position Papers with the Hela Provincial Government being the latest. The only party that is yet to give its Position Paper is the Enga Provincial Government. Mining Minister Sir Ano Pala, when presented with the Position Paper by Governor Undialu, stated that the State team will meet up at Wabag Town tomorrow, Monday 11th September to give the Enga Governor, Sir Peter Ipatas the opportunity to present his provincial government’s Position Paper to the State. Once all Position Papers have been presented, the Development Forum process will end. The next process to commence will be the Community Development Agreement where the discussions on who gets how much from the Mining project, begin. Meanwhile, Governor Undialu presented his Provincial Government’s Position Paper to the Ministers Minister on Friday 08th September, in Port Moresby city. The event was witnessed by the leaders of impacted landowner groups from Hela, the Government State Negotiation Team and state ministers.

Fuel consumers in the country will now have to dig a little deeper into their pockets to pay for fuel this month because the fuel price for all the three petroleum products, has already increased as of Friday the 8th of September. According to the Independent Consumers and Competitions Commission (ICCC), the price for Petrol, Diesel and Kerosene have increased due to the increased price of crude oil in the month of August. This average increase of crude oil was due to reduced oil production by OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) and its allies, and the improved global macroeconomic condition which has contributed to increased oil demand. The domestic retail fuel prices (IRPs) for this month are inclusive of the Import Parity prices (IPP) or the imported costs for each petroleum product, domestic sea and road freight rates for the third quarter of 2023, the annual wholesale and retail margins for 2023, and the Goods and Services Tax (GST), including the applicable excise duties, among other parameters. The retail prices in all other designated centers will change according to their quarterly approved domestic freight rates, and their respective annual retail margins for 2023. For all other centers, the maximum retail prices for each regulated petroleum product will change on average as follows: · Petrol prices will increase by 25.17 toea per litre; · Diesel prices will increase by 44.95 toea per litre; and · Kerosene prices will increase by 48.77 toea per litre. The prices set by the ICCC are the indicative maximum retail prices, for which retailers may choose to sell below the ICCC approved maximum price. ICCC inspectors will continue to conduct spot checks after 8th September, to ensure on-going compliance by retail fuel operators. Consumers are also advised to report any instances of overcharging by retailers through the ICCC’s Consumer Protection Division, or by contacting the ICCC Regional Offices.

The Palestinian Authority has called the opening of Papua New Guinea's Israeli embassy in Jerusalem an "aggression" and a "violation" of international law. In a statement, Palestine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates termed the embassy opening as "an aggression against the Palestinian people and their rights" and "a blatant violation of international law and United Nations resolutions". On Tuesday, PNG's Prime Minister, James Marape, inaugurated the embassy in West Jerusalem, becoming only the fifth country to set up a diplomatic mission in the city. In 2018, the US moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in a move that was followed by Honduras, Guatemala and Kosovo. The Palestinian ministry said it will use all political, diplomatic and legal means to "pursue these countries over their unjustified aggression against the Palestinian people and their rights." The Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Jordan have also condemned the move. Religion behind the move According to the Times of Israel, Marape was explicit that the opening of the embassy was down to religious motivations. [caption id="attachment_44999" align="aligncenter" width="1079"] James Marape, left, and Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on 6 September 2023. Photo: Facebook.com / The Prime Minister of Israel[/caption] The country opened its embassy "because of our shared heritage, acknowledging the creator God, the Yahweh God of Israel, the Yahweh God of Isaac and Abraham," the newspaper quoted Marape as saying. "You have been the great custodian of the moral values that were passed for humanity," Marape said to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who attended the ceremony opening. "Many nations choose not to open their embassies in Jerusalem but we made the conscious choice. This has been the universal capital of the nation and people of Israel. For us to call ourselves Christians, paying respect to God will not be complete without recognising that Jerusalem is the universal capital of the people and nation of Israel." Marape also asked Israel to open an embassy in Port Moresby, and offered to provide the land for the mission. Earlier this week, it was revealed that Israel would bankroll the embassy. - Pacific News/ Times of Israel Source: RNZ.Com

Over twenty youth leaders from the South Fly district of the Western Province are now able to attend to youth issues in their own communities after completing a three- day training on leadership skills. The three-day training conducted on Daru Island enhanced their leadership skills in emotional intelligence, conflict resolution and on being a team player. The training held at the Seminar from August 28th to September 01st, upskilled the twenty-four (24) youth leaders. The group comprised the five (5) Local Youth Councils in the district's leadership structure and they are: 1. Oriomo Bituri Local Youth Council 2.Morehead Local Youth Council 3. Fly Kiwai Local Youth Council 4. Daru Urban Local Youth Council 5. Fore Coast Local Youth Council 6. South Fly District Youth Council The Director-General for National Youth Development Authority (NYDA), Joe Itaki said the training delivered was made possible through the established partnership amongst his organization, the Justice Stability Services for Development (JSS4D), the Western Provincial Administration, and the South Fly District Development Authority (DDA). The training was facilitated by Greater Training Institute. In his closing remarks of the training, the Deputy Provincial Administrator for Operations, Mr. Michael Viriu, rendered support for the youths and the programs and projects that will be delivered through the youth councils, such as the Leadership Training which is very important for the youth leaderships to take charge in leading their peers. The South Fly district is optimistic for more youth programs for their youths to be engaged in and NYDA is ready to deliver in partnership with stakeholders in youth development. 

The residents and business houses in the city of Lae have been living in constant load shedding of electricity since Monday after a fault occurred along the main transmission line resulting in a major power outage for the second largest city in the country. According to PNG Power Limited (PPL), the fault is along the transmission from Ramu Hydro power station to the city of Lae and since it was identified this week, work has been progressing in having it fixed. PNG Power engineers have been working on getting the necessary materials together before heading out on the road to get to the site of the fault and then work on fixing it today. Currently, the city is being powered by the three generators owned by an Independent Power Producer (IPP). The power supply during the day, especially during peak time, is on high demand resulting in the load shedding, but not so much during the evenings. Meanwhile, PNG Power is hoping that the restoration of the power supply is completed by today so that the residents and business houses in Lae can have access again to uninterrupted electricity supply. The residents are also hoping for the same because it’s almost a week now and power disruption is just getting too much for people to handle, and with the 48th Independence coming up in a few days’ time, it would better to have normal power supply in order for the people to enjoy and celebrate independence.

The Digicel ExxonMobil Cup closed off another successful year of rugby league last evening with the Awards Night to recognize the players, coaches, clubs, match officials, and people that performed exceptionally well this year over the course of the 2023 season. Papua New Guinea (PNG) National Rugby League (NRL) Chairman, Mr. Adrian Chow said rugby league wouldn’t be fun and exciting without the people that make it happen, that provide the entertainment for the many rugby league fans out there. “These performances and achievements remind us all of the importance of dedication, skills and teamwork. They also inspire and motivate us,” said the PNG NRL Chairman. Mr. Chow took the time also to extend his gratitude to the clubs and players that participated and making the 2023 season a memorable one. Ms. Lorna McPherson, the Senior Vice President for Digicel also had her say on the competition and the recognition of the many talents in rugby league. But, most importantly, she said rugby league is more than just a sport. “We recognize rugby league as a sport that also promotes discipline, build character and encourage good sportsmanship.” That is why she is adamant to see the development of rugby league at the lower level up to the senior level and the further development of women rugby league competitions into a more semiprofessional status like the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup. Nevertheless, the Awards Night saw about 10 categories; Top Try Scorer, Top Points Scorer, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Club of the Year, Team of the Year, Player of the Year, PNGRFL Fulltime Reserve Excellence Award, People’s Choice Award and Referee of the Year Award. The winners and awardees of the season are as follows. · Top Try Scorer- Cyril Seba, Hela Wigmen · Top Point Scorer- Elizah Rotinga, Kimbe Cutters · Rookie of the Year- Manu Sent, Goroka Lahanis · Coach of the Year- Billy Gau, Enga Mioks · Club of the Year- EPG Enga Mioks The Team of the Year category recognizes the best players in each position to form the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup. The awardees are as follows. · Fullback of the Year- Junior Bobby, Central Dabaris · Winger of the Year- Cyril Seba, Hela Wigmen · Halfback of the Year- Solomon Pokare, Hela Wigmen · Hooker of the Year- Nathan Tente, ENB Gurias · Centre of the Year- Elizah Rotinga, Kimbe Cutters · Five-Eight of the Year- Garry James, Enga Mioks · Prop of the Year- Ishmael Waine, Mendi Muruks · Second Rower of the Year- Atua Joshua, Hela Wigmen · Lock of the Year- Supa Kokote, Enga Mioks Looking at the remaining categories, the Player of the Year Award went to Garry James of the Enga Mioks. For the PNGRFL Fulltime Reserve Excellence Award, which recognizes the distinguish services to rugby league and chosen by the PNGRFL Chairman, was awarded to Eastern Highlands Governor Simon Sia, who happens to be the franchise owner of the Goroka Lahanis. For the last two awards for the night, the People’s Choice Award went to Robert Mathias of the Lae Snax Tigers and the Referee of the Year Award was given to Leonard Alphonse.

A two-week workshop is currently underway at the Murray Barracks in Port Moresby to train Department of Defence (DOD) staff on better management of administrative duties. This training is being provided by a nine- member training team from Australia, called Mentoring Training Team Charlie (MTTC). They were officially welcomed on Tuesday 29th August by the Deputy Secretary for Department of Defence, Mr. Simon Tunapai, on behalf of Secretary Mr. Hari John Akipe. “We appreciate your time and your specialty. The program is enhancing our skills.” Mr. Tunapai said during a short welcome ceremony at the department. He said the result of the MTT initiative can be seen in the performance of staff members who attended MTT trainings. He said that staff who received training through the MTT have come back to the department and set benchmark performances in their various roles. The MTTC program started from Tuesday 29th August and will end on Friday 8th September, and will have a greater focus on record keeping. MTTC is the third engagement of the year. The first engagement was Mentoring Training Team Alpha that came to Papua New Guinea (PNG) early this year and the second engagement was Mentoring Training Team Bravo, that had participants from the department travel to Australia for training in July. This is the second year for the MTT to run after being officially launched in 2022 with the leadership of Secretary Akipe and Australia's Defence Secretary, Mr. Greg Moriarty. The MTT is an initiative under the Olgeta Department Series and targets priorities of assistance agreed on in the Department of Defence Enhancement Partnership Program 2021-2024 that was signed in 2021 by Secretary Akipe and Secretary Moriarty. The main areas targeted in the workshop are audit, records management, governance, information technology, and human resources management.

The Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited (KPHL) will soon have a share in the US$19 billion PNG LNG project now that it has finalized all the paperwork. Kumul Petroleum Holdings had finalized the agreement with Santos to purchase a 2.6% equity interest in the PNG LNG Project for US$576 million, plus US$160 million share of project debt. Kumul Petroleum’s Managing Director, Mr. Wapu Sonk said this transaction is the culmination of many months of discussions that have taken place with national and international financiers since the National Executive Council (NEC) gave its initial approval for KPHL to acquire additional equity in the PNG LNG Project in September 2022. “The PNG LNG Project is a mature, profitable and de-risked petroleum project that has consistently operated above its nameplate capacity, and which has many more years of commercial life left as additional gas fields are brought online.” Mr. Sonk explained that on completion of the sale of the 2.6% equity in the PNG LNG Project to Kumul Petroleum, Santos had agreed to grant KPHL a Call Option to acquire a further 2.4% interest in the project, and that this Call Option must be exercised on or before 30 June 2024. “The total purchase price for Kumul Petroleum to exercise the Call Option will be US$524 million, plus US$145 million share of project finance debt. At the end of this process, Kumul Petroleum will have acquired an additional 5% equity in the PNG LNG Project.” ” Kumul Petroleum has ensured that entering into financing arrangements to acquire additional equity in the PNG LNG Project will not affect its financial capability to take up the State’s full 22.5% equity entitlement in the forthcoming Papua LNG Project and also continue to pay annual dividends to the State, in line with our annual operating plans,” said Mr. Sonk. “Kumul Petroleum has thanked the Prime Minister, Minister for State Enterprises, Mr. William Duma and all the members of the NEC for their support during the process to close this transaction.” Mr. Sonk concluded by saying that Kumul Petroleum as the national petroleum and energy company, is fulfilling its vision statement, which is to build the nation through its energy resources. “We must balance long-term commercial investments and consequent sustainable income streams with our ability to support the National Government to achieve its development priorities as outlined in the Medium-Term Development Strategy (MTDS) and Vision 2050 plans.”