The Department of Environment has formally rejected the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report for the proposed Energy-from-Waste plant and associated private port facility at Vuda Point, issuing the decision to proponent The Next Generation Holdings (Fiji) Pte Limited after a technical review under the Environment Management Act 2005 (as amended by the Environment Management (Amendment) Act 2025) and the Environment Management (EIA Process) Regulations 2007.
Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Dr Sivendra Michael said the EIA “did not meet the legal and technical standards required for approval.” The department found a suite of critical matters either unresolved or deferred for later assessment, leaving the review committee unsatisfied that potential impacts and risks could be adequately assessed or managed. “For a project of this scale, the Department must be satisfied that the risks to people, communities, the environment, culture, livelihoods and the economy are properly assessed and can be properly managed,” Dr Michael said.
The technical review identified a wide range of outstanding issues. These included uncertainty over the project’s scale and the long‑term waste supply, the prospect of imported waste, plans for management and disposal of hazardous ash, water supply arrangements, and potential public health risks. The report also flagged gaps in assessment of environmental impacts, road and port infrastructure needs, social and cultural effects on nearby communities, tourism impacts, and the overall economic case for the development.
The decision comes after months of heightened public scrutiny and consultation. Earlier coverage of the proposal — which has previously been linked to an investor profile naming Australian businessman Ian Malouf — recorded vocal opposition from residents and civil society groups. Organisations such as the Pacific Recycling Foundation and Waste Recyclers Fiji Limited, represented by corporate relations manager Josaia Cava, were among those who raised concerns about the project’s siting, scale and potential harm to local communities and the environment.
The Ministry’s statement emphasised that the rejection is not a blanket opposition to investment or new waste solutions but a technical finding about the adequacy of the EIA. It thanked traditional landowners of Vuda, residents of Vuda and Saweni, government agencies, civil society organisations, technical experts, businesses and members of the public who participated in the review process, underlining the strong public interest in the proposal. The Ministry reiterated its commitment to transparent, lawful and evidence‑based environmental decision‑making in the public interest.
The Department issued its decision to the proponent; however, the Ministry’s announcement did not detail any specific next steps for The Next Generation Holdings or indicate whether the company intends to revise and resubmit an amended EIA. The rejection places the project back at a critical point of uncertainty and signals that any future application will need to robustly address the technical and community concerns that the Department has identified before approval can be granted.