Geothermal Energy Resources of Papua New Guinea: Country Update

Abstract

Papua New Guinea is characterized by quaternary volcanic islands with potentially low to high-temperature geothermal resources that are yet to be systematically investigated for development and utilization. The country has an installed capacity of 50MW geothermal power plant on Lihir Island, owned and operated by Newcrest Mining Limited within its gold mining lease. Apart from this, geothermal energy research and development including other renewable energy sources has been slow due to lack of political will and support for the development of policies and legal frameworks and finance to direct and lead geothermal development including other renewable energy sources to realize the desired national goals and visions. The geothermal resource policy is yet to be passed in Parliament, however, the government has recently approved the National Energy Policy (2017-2027) which lays out the plan for the establishment of the new National Energy Authority and Energy Regulatory Commission which will be mandated to administer and regulate the energy industry. This policy provides for the development of various policies for geothermal and other renewable energy sources to develop sustainable renewable energy. This paper aims to provide an overview of the preliminary geothermal studies initiated and conducted by the Mineral Resources Authority’s Geological Survey Division since 2009 including recent government policy initiatives.