Support to PNG Power Limited (PPL) on Data Management, Metering, and Customer Engagement

Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Deloitte Consulting LLP and its subcontractors. The SRUC TO aims to promote utility commercialization and equitable, effective reforms that will enhance the financial viability and long-term sustainability of developing countries' electricity systems. In November 2018, the United States joined with international donors from Australia, Japan, and New Zealand to form the PNG Electrification Partnership with the goal of supporting Papua New Guinea's efforts to increase electricity access to 70 percent of households by 2030. Papua New Guinea Power Limited (PPL), the country's fully integrated, state-owned electric utility, is a key component of the PNG Electrification Partnership. Through the "Support to PNG Power Limited (PPL) on Data Management, Metering, and Customer Engagement" Work Assignment, SRUC is assisting PPL's reform efforts to improve its operational and financial performance. The goal is to assist in the transformation of PPL into a financially viable institution capable of investing for future growth and effectively partnering with the private sector. PPL uses the Gentrack billing system customer database as its primary customer information source for all post-paid customers in Papua New Guinea. However, PPL has not upgraded the Gentrack billing software and technology infrastructure for a very long time, resulting in inadequate capability to maintain the customer databases, commercial processes, and limited system functionalities. Furthermore, PPL has not reviewed or updated its processes for customer data collection, management, and meter reading for many years, which has weakened the operational processes, system auditing/reporting, and made the customer data stored in Gentrack database unreliable. The SRUC team developed a customer information survey and data cleansing methodology for PPL and provided training to a group of PPL nominated staff. In addition, the SRUC team is supporting the PPL team with the survey and data cleansing work in the Port Moresby Operations Centre (POM). The aim is to enable PPL to independently continue with the data cleansing process and gradually clean the entire Gentrack customer database. PPL started the survey and data cleansing process in mid-2020, targeting approximately 1,850 IND and GS customers in the POM. However, the process has faced several implementation difficulties, including a lack of coordination amongst technical survey teams, a shortage of resources such as equipment, and availability in staffing individuals due to full-time responsibilities and periodic reductions in or rotating staff schedules as a result of strict COVID-19 related government restrictions. Due to these challenges, the POM data cleansing initiative has been delayed significantly. The SRUC team worked both locally and remotely with the PPL POM survey team to assist in establishing the survey process and updating the customer information database for the priority 253 IND and GS installations/metering points in the POM.