Skip to content

About us.

What is Pawarim Komuniti Partnerships?

Australia’s Pawarim Komuniti Partnerships program delivers off-grid renewable energy projects for rural and remote communities throughout Papua New Guinea. Our goal is to improve access to renewable energy for communities, schools and small businesses. Australia’s off-grid support in PNG is driven by the philosophy of ‘clean energy, brighter future’ to work with partners to:

House icon

Deliver access to clean energy services that have a positive impact on people in rural and remote communities

Battery icon

Deliver sustainable off-grid energy projects that are locally owned and led

Power plug icon

Provide affordable, quality and clean energy solutions, with minimal environmental impact

Heart icon

Enable equitable and inclusive access to clean energy through integrating gender, disability and social inclusion into project design and implementation

Lightbulb icon

Innovate and pilot new delivery models for solar technologies in PNG.

Clean energy in PNG

Pawarim Komuniti Partnerships supports Papua New Guinea’s Medium Term Development Plan IV (2023 to 2027). One of the plan’s objectives is to provide electricity to 70% of households by 2030, and to 100% of households by 2050.

The plan states the key role that clean and renewable energy generation will play in achieving its ambitious targets, such as the solar technologies offered through Pawarim Komuniti Partnerships.

Blue sky and solar panels

What is off-grid electrification?

Off-grid electrification refers to standalone power systems that provide rural households, businesses, public or community service facilities with clean energy services.

Off-grid electrification is fast becoming the preferred means to connect people to electricity in countries like Papua New Guinea where communities are isolated, and the cost of grid connectivity is high.

Research in the energy sector highlights that for much of PNG’s population, off grid, decentralised solutions will play a significant role in enabling access to energy in rural areas, and it may well remain the most appropriate option for the near and medium term.

80% of PNG’s population lives in remote towns and communities with limited access to vital services. Increasing access to energy services will:

  • help to improve living standards
  • allow government and civil society to deliver improved education and health services at the community level
  • strengthen community members’ access to affordable, nutritious food
  • foster economic growth in the private sector, especially through enhancing income generation opportunities for small and medium enterprises
  • improve safety and security at night through improved street lighting.