Construction of Hela Hilton Hotel to start soon

Work is set to begin soon on the construction of the Hela Hilton Heritage Hotel in Tari.

Prime Minister James Marape, who is also the Member for Tari Pori, was in his district recently to witness the groundbreaking ceremony, that was also attended by hundreds of people.

This hotel project is focused on promoting tourism, creating jobs, and showcasing Hela's heritage and hospitality to the world.

Mr Marape said the contribution of Mineral Resources Development Corporation [MRDC] in investing in a major long-term development project will benefit the people and commended their “leap of faith” in investing in the hotel industry.

“I also acknowledge the Hela Provincial Government under the leadership of Governor Philip Undialu for its continuous investment in infrastructure development, and also other development partners,” he said.

Before the ribbon cutting, landowners from Kutubu, Hides, Moran, Angore, and Juha, through MRDC and Hela Investment Limited, signed an agreement to develop the Hela Hilton Heritage Hotel.

The Prime Minister advocated for the replication of this model across other provinces involved in the PNG-LNG project, suggesting that similar hospitality and tourism infrastructure should be established to ensure that resource-rich provinces are equipped to transition towards more sustainable and diversified economies.

Mr Marape said this tourism structure started in the hardest place to be conquered, and with investors settling in, he looks forward to doing the same for Kutubu, Kikori, Kerema, and the Western Province.

"We embrace culture and the environment when we promote sustainable business for our people, establishment of similar hotels at the project sites is designed to foster sustainable economic growth by promoting tourism and preserving cultural heritage, both of which are renewable assets that can continue to generate income and opportunities," Marape said.

Hela Governor Philip Undialu acknowledged the people of Teruwa village for releasing their land for the construction of the hotel and added that the hotel will bring spin-off benefits and give rise to SME activities.

This event was followed by the signing ceremonies of three others, signifying partnership, progress, and prosperity for the province and its project-impacted communities.

Agreements for gas-fired power signed

The second Memorandum of Agreement [MoA] was for electrification by the landowner company. Transpower Ltd, a landowner company, agreed to extend the power network across the project impact areas and throughout Hela Province, contributing to the Government’s rural electrification goals under Connect PNG.

The third MoA was a 5 megawatts gas-fired power supply to Hela Province. ExxonMobil PNG signed a commitment to supply 5 megawatts of power to the people of Hela, boosting local industry, improving public services, and powering new growth in the town and surrounding communities.

Governor Undialu said the province will finally have access to reliable and affordable electricity through the 5MW gas-fired power supply from the ExxonMobil PNG project.

“The first 2MW mini turbines are being installed at the Hides Gas Conditioning plant and are expected to be commissioned before the end of this year or early next year.

“Hela has been supplying gas-fired electricity since 1992 to the Porgera Gold Mine and LNG since 2014, yet my people have lived in the dark. Through collaboration, persistence, and hard negotiations, we can now proudly tick off a long-missed box in our development journey,” he stated.

Governor Undialu thanked ExxonMobil, the Joint Venture partner, MRDC, Prime Minister James Marape and everyone who contributed to the achievement.

PRK also signed a commitment with the Hela Provincial Health Authority to provide incentives for rural doctors serving in remote areas of the province.