For the past 3 years, our hospital and station has relied on the
government power to give us the power we need to function. Unfortunately, the government power is
very expensive and unreliable and the diesel for our generator which provides
us power when the government power isn’t working is also very expensive. All of this has made us look for ways
to restore our hydroelectric power.
Last year, AUSAID agreed to fund the rebuilding of our hydroelectric power and Earl Hartwig and his family have relocated from Equator to PNG to lead the rebuilding project. The McCoys and I took a walk down to the hydro to see their progress shortly after I got back and this is what we found.
There has definitely been a lot of work happening in these past few months, with much of it in redigging and cementing the canal so the water can flow down to the plant that will harvest the power. The rock baskets are being made to help in rebuilding the dam. There is definitely a lot more to do, but all of us are looking forward to the day when we are back on hydro power again. Anytime we have a building project, we always try and support the communities around us by hiring guys to do some of the work. This helps boost the economy in the villages around us and builds public relations, but also can be problemsome too. Pray for good relations with the communities, for them to work hard, for there to be little or no fighting and arguing about the work and about their salary. Pray also for the work to be completed quickly.
