SIRINUMU DAM RUNNING LOW, PEOPLE URGED TO CONSERVE WATER & POWER

The residents of Port Moresby city and parts of Central province are being urged to use water and electricity wisely as water levels at Sirinumu Dam begin to run low due to the El Niño weather condition.

PNG Power Ltd (PPL) in a statement released today, is urging customers and the general public in the National Capital District (NCD) and Central Province that the company is actively managing reduced water availability at Sirinumu Dam in response to the ongoing El Niño drought conditions affecting the region.

The reduced water release from Sirinumu Dam directly impacts hydro generation capacity across the Rouna hydropower cascading stations, resulting in a reduction in available renewable generation on the Port Moresby power grid. PPL is supplementing this reduced hydro output with diesel thermal generation at Moitaka Power Station to maintain grid stability and minimise the number of feeders currently being on load shedding.

Sirinumu Dam also serves as a critical raw water source for Port Moresby’s city water supply. PPL is working in close coordination with Water PNG and relevant government authorities to ensure that, while power generation water releases are reduced, the minimum required raw water discharge for the city’s water supply system is maintained throughout this period.

To conserve water and responsibly manage the Sirinumu Dam reservoir through the current drought period, PPL has implemented the following water release reduction and generation management measures:

As of May 2026, PPL has reduced water release from Sirinumu Dam. As a direct consequence, load shedding has commenced due to a generation shortfall resulting from reduced power supply from the Rouna Hydro Stations.
The Sirinumu Toe of Dam power station (TDS) is operating at a reduced output of 500kW (down from its normal 1.5MW), releasing approximately 2.5 cumecs into the Laloki River.
Only two (2) siphon valves are being kept open instead of the full ten, further reducing total discharge from Sirinumu Dam to approximately 3.9 cumecs, compared to the normal maximum of 14.0 cumecs.
The Rouna hydropower cascade stations (Rouna 2 and Rouna 4) are each being operated on a single generating unit to match the reduced river inflow, maintaining steady operating pond levels and minimising water loss.
PPL is conducting close real-time monitoring of all uncontrolled inflows and generation dispatch, with emergency load shedding protocols on standby should conditions deteriorate further.
PPL is actively working to restore forced-outage thermal generators and is progressing the recommissioning of Rouna 1 and Rouna 3 hydropower stations to restore additional generation capacity to the Port Moresby grid and ease the current load shedding burden on customers.

“These water conservation measures are anticipated to remain in place for up to ten (10) months, in line with the forecast duration of El Niño drought conditions as advised by the National Weather Service Bureau. PPL will continuously review and adjust these measures as drought conditions evolve,” stated the State- owned power company.

The National Weather Service Bureau’s May 2026 Drought Update confirms that NCD has been under Drought Alert status for two consecutive months, while Central Province has now transitioned from Drought Watch to Drought Alert. Climate forecasts indicate below-normal rainfall across most of Papua New Guinea through to August 2026, with El Niño-like conditions expected to intensify in the coming months.

Regular updates will be provided to the public on the status of dam levels, generation operations, and any planned load shedding through its official communication channels. Customers are encouraged to monitor PPL’s official Facebook page and website for the latest information.