Energy Fiji Ltd (EFL) is currently in discussions with American artesian water company FIJI Water, aiming to provide renewable energy from a solar farm that FIJI Water plans to establish on its property in Yaqara.
EFL chairman Rokoseru Nabalarua shared this update during a panel session at the Fiji-Australia and Australia-Fiji Business Councils Joint Forum in Suva last month. He highlighted EFL’s goal to achieve a power generation mix of 90 percent renewable energy and 10 percent fossil fuels by 2035, noting the importance of collaboration with various companies, including FIJI Water, to meet this objective.
Nabalarua mentioned that FIJI Water is interested in developing solar energy, taking advantage of Yaqara’s favorable sunny climate and ample land. He stated, “We’ve asked them to develop as much capacity as they can, and we (EFL) will manage the necessary infrastructure to accommodate that. For instance, they can increase their daytime capacity, while we can support their needs during nighttime.”
EFL operates the national power grid exclusively, but Fiji’s power production sector is deregulated, allowing Independent Power Producers to sell power to EFL through Power Purchasing Agreements (PPA). Currently, EFL has PPAs with several entities, including Fiji Sugar Corporation, Tropik Wood Industries, and Nabou Green Energy Ltd.
Additionally, EFL is exploring partnerships with various technology partners, particularly in geothermal and solar energy combined with hydrogen, as part of their strategy to accelerate the transition to renewable energy.
As stated in their recently released 2023 Annual Report, EFL reported that the three Independent Power Producers contributed 6.79 percent to the total electricity production in the year, while hydro plants provided 48.11 percent and wind power accounted for 0.01 percent. This results in a total power generation mix of 54.91 percent from renewable sources and 45.09 percent from fossil fuels.