Papua New Guinea has an area of 178,364 mi² (461,961 km²) and is large compared to the other island nations of the western Pacific. It lies between 2 and 10° south of the equator, has one of the highest average rainfalls anywhere in the world, and has a mountainous geography. These factors give the country a vast potential for hydropower. To date, with one or two notable exceptions, this potential has not received significant attention. Public Utility schemes form the mainstay of the electricity development plan, but smaller scale applications are proving difficult to initiate in significant numbers. During the last 20 years, many small hydropower schemes fell into disuse, mainly through lack of skilled maintenance. Some were even replaced by di sel generation despite the disparity in total cost.

Recently there have been moves in several areas of the country to implement modest Rural Electrification Programmes. Papua New Guinea has only a few transmission lines, linking a handful of centers. A national electricity grid system has yet to evolve. Small towns and rural centers are supplied independently, usually by diesel generators.

Rural Electrification research and development work has been proceeding at the University of Technology in Lae for nearly 10 years. Over the last few years, development has concentrated on small (1-50 kW), village scale, self-help hydrosystems which are inexpensive, easy to operate and, above all, reliable. This has led to developments in these areas: (1) electronic load controllers and protection devices; (2) turbine design suitable for local manufacture; (3) inexpensive transmission lines; (4) induction generators; and (5) reticulation and wiring for bush material houses.

At the same time, the university has become involved in site surveys and project evaluation on behalf of local governments. It also assists with planning and submissions for funding. While the details of these developments will be of interest in other Pacific Islands, perhaps the most important aspect is the coordination between local governments and users to implement and maintain these projects.

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