A proposed $1.4 billion Waste-to-Energy (WtE) incinerator for the Saweni–Vuda area has come under fresh public scrutiny after a community meeting in Vuda, Lautoka, where residents and environmental campaigners raised a series of questions about the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Protect the Heritage Coast Committee chairperson Paul Forrest told the gathering at the First Landing Conference Room on Saturday that there were "many areas of doubt and concern" in the EIA prepared by The Next Generation Fiji (TNG).
Forrest said the committee’s initial submission will focus on the validity of the EIA, including whether all consultants who contributed to the assessment are properly registered. "Are all the consultants registered? We do not think they are," he said, highlighting what he described as inconsistencies in the project documentation. The committee also alleges the EIA misidentifies the physical site of the development, naming Vuda Point when the intended location is, according to Forrest, Naikorokoro Point in Saweni.
Attendees at the meeting criticised what they regarded as a lack of independent data underpinning the assessment. Forrest accused the EIA of relying on assumptions rather than verified figures for current waste management outputs, and said the document did not present an independent analysis of what Fiji’s existing waste plans are producing. He warned that the use of unverified information undermines confidence in the environmental case for such a large-scale incineration project.
Questions were also raised about references in the EIA to international waste standards and alleged arrangements with external authorities. Forrest said the report did not clearly show whether formal agreements had been established with relevant bodies, including the Australian government, for technical, regulatory or funding support. The absence of clear documentation on those points, residents argued, could leave key governance and compliance issues unresolved.
While Forrest emphasised that the committee is not opposing the project simply because of its location, he said the group wants wider scrutiny of the proposal’s implications for coastal heritage, public health and Fiji’s broader waste and energy strategy. "The whole issue is so much bigger and broader than that — so have your say," he said, and added that community input was the reason for convening the meeting.
The heightened local scrutiny comes amid broader national discussions on sustainable waste management and green energy. Forrest cautioned that protracted debate and apparent documentation problems could dissuade investors from supporting renewable and waste-management initiatives if public trust is not established. The committee’s flagged submission and the concerns aired on Saturday are likely to put pressure on project proponents and regulatory authorities to clarify consultant credentials, correct site identification and provide independent, verifiable data before the EIA can be accepted as the basis for permitting or further investment decisions.
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