Continuing its partnership with Enga Hydro Power Limited, global engineering, management and development consultancy SMEC has been appointed to deliver a feasibility study for the next phase of the approximately 18 MW Pilikambi Hydropower Project in Papua New Guinea. SMEC previously carried out the pre-feasibility study for the project, which identified its technical and financial viability, and the report on this study was submitted in July 2019.

The Pilikambi Hydropower Project is located on the Lagaip River, near the Pilikambi Village. Enga Hydro Power initiated the project in 2016 under a public-private partnership (PPP), 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 sustainable, renewable energy.

The major activities during the feasibility study 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 viability of the Pilikambi Hydropower Project. Upon confirmation of the project’s viability, comprehensive environmental and social studies will follow to ensure optimum project configuration.

“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 government facilities in Wabag town,” said Tilak Battharai, SMEC manager for hydropower & dams in Southeast Asia. “Furthermore, the injection of 15–18 MW of power will strengthen the grid reliability between Wabag and Mt. Hagen.”

All images: SMEC