Fiji has announced an accelerated timeline for replacing imported fossil fuels with homegrown renewable power, with government targets now set at about 60 percent renewable electricity by 2029, nearly 90 percent by 2035 and a national goal of 100 percent by 2036. The update, delivered in Parliament by Minister for Public Works, Meteorological Services and Transport Ro Filipe Tuisawau, lays out specific projects and a planned co‑investment programme intended to rapidly expand solar and hydro capacity across the islands.
Speaking in response to an Opposition question from MP Rinesh Sharma, Ro Filipe framed the energy shift as a matter of economic survival as much as environmental responsibility, warning Fiji remains exposed to volatile international oil markets while diesel and heavy fuel oil continue to supply part of the electricity mix. “Every sudden increase in international oil price eventually affects transport, food prices, business costs and electricity costs,” he told MPs, adding that a renewable transition will strengthen national resilience and stabilise the cost of living.
Central to the government's plan is a co‑investment programme to add around 165 megawatts of large‑scale solar generation paired with substantial battery energy storage systems (BESS). Ro Filipe said these storage systems are critical to capture daytime solar output for use during evening peak demand and will be developed with independent power producers and development partners including the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank. He highlighted the complementary nature of solar and hydro — solar providing during the dry season, hydro during the wet season — as a climate risk hedge.
Hydropower projects also featured in the update. The Qaliwana Hydro Project is expected to deliver about 21MW, while the Savatu Hydro Project is projected to provide around 28MW. Feasibility studies for both schemes are being supported by the European Union and the European Investment Bank, Ro Filipe said, stressing these are practical infrastructure developments intended to reduce fuel imports rather than theoretical goals.
The minister acknowledged the transition’s high upfront costs — for solar farms, battery systems, substations, transmission upgrades and cyclone‑resilient grid works — and warned that financial sustainability in the electricity sector is essential to keep concessional financing flowing and to avoid higher costs being passed to consumers. “Without that confidence, projects become delayed, financing costs rise, and ultimately the burden on consumers becomes even greater,” he said.
Beyond large projects, the government pointed to ongoing rural electrification efforts: more than 20,000 solar home systems have already been installed across remote and maritime communities, providing basic power where grid extension is costly. Ro Filipe said Energy Fiji Limited (EFL) has a dual mandate to maintain reliable supply now while building the renewable system Fiji will depend on in future. With feasibility work under way and co‑investment arrangements being negotiated with development partners and private investors, the minister framed this parliamentary briefing as the latest development in an urgent national pivot away from imported fuels.