A new assessment by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) says Fiji risks falling short of its ambitious clean-energy goals unless it urgently tightens gaps in its legal and regulatory framework governing the power sector. The review — prepared with Fiji’s Department of Energy under IRENA’s SIDS Lighthouses Initiative — warns that outdated laws, slow approval processes and weak institutional arrangements could delay renewable projects and deter private investors needed to hit national targets.
Fiji has set a national target of 100 percent renewable electricity generation by 2036 and net‑zero emissions by 2050. But the island nation still relies heavily on imported fossil fuels, the assessment says, and the pace of renewable rollout must accelerate to meet those timelines. At present Fiji has roughly 226 megawatts of renewable capacity: hydropower accounts for about 61 percent, bioenergy 29 percent, and solar and wind just five percent each — a mix that IRENA says leaves limited scope for rapid expansion without policy and regulatory change.
IRENA Director‑General Francesco La Camera highlighted specific legal and regulatory barriers in the report that are “limiting the scale and speed of renewable energy deployment” in Fiji. While the agency stops short of prescribing a single path, it maps a set of short-, medium‑ and long‑term reforms designed to improve the investment environment. Key recommendations include streamlining project approval and permitting processes, strengthening regulatory oversight of grid connection and power purchase arrangements, and updating the Electricity Act so statutes align more clearly with the country’s climate and energy objectives.
The review also flags institutional issues that can discourage independent power producers and slow project delivery, from overlapping responsibilities between agencies to unclear licensing procedures. Those defects, IRENA argues, raise transaction costs and increase the uncertainty that private investors weigh when deciding whether to back projects in small island markets like Fiji.
Minister for Public Works, Meteorological Services and Transport Ro Filipe Tuisawau welcomed the review, describing it as “an important step in Fiji’s energy transition.” He said the Legislative and Regulatory Gap Analysis offers “practical recommendations to unlock greater private sector investment and accelerate the deployment of renewable energy solutions,” signalling the government’s intent to act on the findings. The minister’s comments underscore a broader push by Fiji to modernise its legal framework; government sources have previously signalled stepped‑up drafting capacity and multiple legislative reviews in other sectors, which could expedite any required changes to energy laws.
The assessment arrives amid growing urgency to reduce exposure to volatile global fuel prices and to attract capital for grid upgrades, storage and generation. Industry figures and state utilities have estimated substantial investment will be needed to expand hydropower, scale up solar and wind, and add battery storage and transmission upgrades — a reality that makes legal clarity and streamlined approvals more than administrative niceties.
Next steps are likely to include detailed government consideration of IRENA’s timeline for reforms and stakeholder consultations with utilities, investors and civil society. If Fiji moves quickly to update the Electricity Act and tighten regulatory processes as recommended, the changes could meaningfully improve investor confidence and speed the kind of private‑sector participation the assessment says is essential to reaching 2036 and 2050 climate targets.
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