17/10/2025
Set to Unveil Landmark Power, Health and Investment Projects Today
PNG Online News | Friday Oct 17, 2025
HELA Province is set to make a significant breakthrough in development as it prepares to host a series of events on today, Friday, 17th October 2025, under the theme “Hela Will Never Be the Same Again.”
Led by Hela Governor Philip Undialu, the day will feature high-level government and corporate engagements aimed at unlocking the province’s development potential and restoring investor confidence.
Key highlights include the official opening of the Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC) office at the Hela 2 Building, the ground-breaking ceremony for the province’s first Heritage Hotel project, and the signing of major agreements that will impact energy access, health services, and economic infrastructure across the province.
Topping the agenda is the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to deliver a 5-megawatt gas-fired power supply to Hela, marking the first time the province will have access to affordable, consistent electricity.
The project, backed by ExxonMobil and the PNG LNG Joint Venture, involves the installation of 2MW mini turbines at the Hides Gas Conditioning Plant, with commissioning expected by the end of this year or early 2026.
Governor Undialu described the agreement as “a long-overdue victory for the people of Hela,” noting that while the province has supplied power to mining operations and LNG exports for decades, local communities have lived without basic access to electricity.
“We’ve cried for this for too long. This is a major win for our people, and I’ve committed to reducing power tariffs by more than half,” said Undialu.
A second Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will see Petroleum Resources Kutubu (PRK), a landowner company under MRDC, allocate funding to support incentives for health workers in Hela Province.
The agreement, made in partnership with the Hela Provincial Health Authority, is aimed at ad