Papua New Guinea Backs Coal Energy

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is backing coal for pushing ahead industrialization. The Energy Minister Sam Basil said he is not ashamed to talk about the types and forms of energy, clean coal being part of it. He said Australia and Indonesia had over 70 per cent of their power mixes from coal.

"Here we are in a tiny, small nation talking about clean energy while we allow those two big neighbours to smoke the atmosphere for us and our forest are being used as a carbon sink."

Basil said Mayur Resources wants to build a coal power plant in Lae. The company's managing director, Paul Mulder said the coal will be mined in the Gulf. Basil said an agreement will be signed in the first week of April. "PNG must not be fools in their own country while other countries are using activists to drive anti-coal campaigns."

Chris Haiveta, the Gulf Governor said commercialization of Gulf coal would happen. "Coal is the base-load power while other energy sources like solar, hydro and wind fluctuate. Coal has been the mainstay of the industrial revolution." Haiveta said they need Papua New Guineans to have free power. "If we are the landowners, give us free power."