Hydropower at present makes up 40 percent of Papua New Guinea’s installed power capacity, due to the optimal conditions and terrains for hydropower plants.
According to the Oxford Business Group, the second major power source to be developed in the country was geothermal energy, initially exploited to power the Lihir Gold mine in New Ireland province.
The volcanic belts around the country are home to significant amounts of active volcanic activity, including 55 known geothermal sites.
Michael Petterson, Director for the Geoscience division at the Pacific Community, states that this figure may be in theory only as developing this energy source takes a lot of effort, however just half or a portion of this is still a significant amount and if harnessed correctly, can power the country for millions of years to come.
