Energy Fiji Ltd (EFL) is currently in negotiations with American water bottling company FIJI Water to provide renewable energy from a solar farm that FIJI Water plans to establish on its site in Yaqara. This information was shared by EFL chairman Rokoseru Nabalarua during the Fiji-Australia and Australia-Fiji Business Councils Joint Forum, which took place in Suva last month. In a discussion regarding EFL’s goal of achieving a power generation mix of 90 percent renewable energy and 10 percent fossil fuel by 2035, Mr. Nabalarua emphasized that EFL requires collaboration with other businesses, including FIJI Water, which could potentially offer surplus energy from their operations.
Mr. Nabalarua noted that FIJI Water has intentions to invest in solar energy and owns substantial land, with Yaqara being one of the sunniest locations in Fiji. He mentioned, “We’ve asked them to develop the maximum capacity they can, and we’ll manage the infrastructure to support that. For instance, they could double their daytime capacity with our assistance at night, allowing them to supply us.”
While EFL runs the national power grid, Fiji’s power generation market is open to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) that can sell energy to EFL under Power Purchasing Agreements (PPA). EFL currently maintains PPAs with several companies, including Fiji Sugar Corporation, Tropik Wood Industries, and Nabou Green Energy Ltd.
Additionally, Mr. Nabalarua revealed that EFL is seeking partnerships with various technology providers, exploring options in geothermal energy with hydrogen and solar power combined with hydrogen, to expedite their transition to renewable energy sources. According to EFL’s 2023 Annual Report, the three IPPs accounted for 6.79 percent of total electricity production last year, while hydro power contributed 48.11 percent and wind power made up 0.01 percent, resulting in a total power generation mix of 54.91 percent renewable energy and 45.09 percent fossil fuel.