New Caledonia Nouvelle-Calédonie - Business Advantage ...

wind turbines in the northern provinCe.
CREDIT: TENESOL
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INFRASTRUCTURE
A FIRST-WORLD BUSINESS
ENVIRONmENT
New Caledonia’s infrastructure is far more reminiscent of the European Union than the South
Pacific, and major new projects are further enhancing the business environment.
New Caledonia’s status as an overseas French
territory, combined with its powerful mining
industry, furnish it with infrastructure that is very
much first-world. Several exciting developments
will ensure this remains so well into the future.
PORT UPGRADE
The Port of Noumea is the busiest among all of France’s scattered
overseas territories and is widely regarded as the most efficient in
the South Pacific. It is an important regional transhipment hub.
Even so, it is in the midst of a major upgrade principally to
cater for larger vessels. The docks area will be expanded by four
hectares (via reclamation of land from the sea), coastal shipping
will be relocated away from the main international dock, and major
dredging works are underway.
According to Philippe Lafleur, the Port’s Director, the project
will be completed by 2011:
‘We’ve already reclaimed four hectares of land to provide
two new jetties, each with two berths. We’ve also constructed a
4500 square metre facility in the port area to accommodate local
shipping agencies.’ The final stage involves dredging the harbour to
create a deeper access channel 200m wide.
New Caledonia is well-serviced by international shipping
companies, particularly Swire Shipping. Swire’s recently enhanced
Pacific Islands service connects Noumea with Australia and other
Pacific Islands ports on an 18-day frequency. Its Greater Bali Hai
provides a multi-purpose roll-on/roll-off fortnightly service linking
Japan and Korea with Noumea and other Pacific ports. Swire’s
regular North Asia and South East Asia services also stop at
Noumea.
energy effiCienCy, waste reCyCling and renewable energy are of
inCreasing importanCe in new Caledonia. piCtured is the territory’s first
solar farm, situated at helios bay, 40 km from noumea. built by frenCh
Company tenesol, the 2.1 mw farm will sell eleCtriCity to loCal energy
provider enerCal and has the CapaCity to generate enough eleCtriCity for
1000 homes.
However, strong recent economic growth has increased the
territory’s appeal to major international shipping companies, which
provide increased competition. For instance, the Mediterranean
Shipping Company (MSC) runs regular services between Sydney
and Noumea and offers connections to Asia and Europe. Other
international services are provided by NZ-based Sofrana Lines and
Pacific Direct Line.
‘The new airport will combine
efficiency with an attractive
Melanesian-inspired design.’
INTERNET BOOST
New Caledonia’s telecommunications are provided by French
Government organisation Office des Postes et Télécommunications
(OPT-NC). The commissioning in September 2008 of a 2200
km submarine fibre-optic cable between Noumea and Sydney,
Australia, brought the territory’s internet connectivity up to
international standards. OPT’s next major project is to bring 3G
telephony to the local market.
OPT’s goal is to extend its mobile telephone network throughout
the whole of New Caledonia and to replace or adapt its equipment
in order to be able to offer 3G technology from mid-2011. Over
a three-year period (from 2009 to the end of 2011), the number
of relay antennas will have therefore increased from 150 to almost
320.
In order to reach this goal, there are several projects underway to:
n create around 170 new sites throughout the interior and on the
islands
n totally renovate the heart of the existing network
n Increase the performance of the existing coverage.
The timeframe for completion has been established so that the first
3G coverage areas will be available for the South Pacific Games
at the end of August 2011. Visitors will be able to use their 3G
telephones and access the data transmission services using roaming
which will then be available. The 3G areas will firstly be opened in
Noumea and in all the locations where competitions will be held
for the Games.
The cost of the investment is estimated at six billion XPF, which
breaks down into three billion XPF for carrying out the building
work (construction and power supply to new pylons) and three
billion XPF for the acquisition, installation and commissioning of
movable items (antennas and telecommunications material).