FUNAFUTI — Tuvalu’s government says the country’s power system is stable for now but vulnerable, as temporary and longer-term backup measures are accelerated following a fortnight-long state of emergency declared over recent outages. Transport and Energy Minister Simon Kofe on Monday outlined a stepped plan that includes an ADB-funded rental generator due on 28 May, bridge procurement of new units, and international technical support while infrastructure upgrades continue.
Kofe stressed the immediate clarification that recent blackouts were caused by network faults rather than failures of the island’s diesel generators. “Generators are operating well. Recent blackouts were due to network issues, not generator faults,” he told PACNEWS, signaling a shift in focus toward grid resilience and coordination rather than replacement of existing generation assets alone.
The rental generator, financed by the Asian Development Bank, is intended as temporary cover and is expected to remain in service for about three to six months while the government moves to purchase permanent backup units. Procurement processes are already being prepared, with bids for permanent backup generators expected to open in early May, Kofe said. Technical advisers are on the ground to support assessments and the tendering work.
Tokyo has also stepped in on the technical front, with the Government of Japan exploring deployment of a Daihatsu specialist to assist the Tuvalu Electricity Corporation (TEC) with servicing and troubleshooting existing generator sets. Australia is providing financial and operational support, sending technical advisers to help strengthen TEC’s financial systems and accounts and backing efforts to expand fuel storage capacity so the country is better prepared for future supply disruptions.
Renewables integration is part of the recovery plan. Kofe reported improvements in solar-battery integration after rectifying communication cable faults with the battery system, which previously impeded solar support for generation. Public Works Department and ICT teams are collaborating with TEC to harden infrastructure and boost system security, while technical teams continue work across the network to reduce the risk of repeat outages.
Humanitarian and logistics responses were also addressed. A fuel tanker shipment is scheduled to arrive on 13 May, and the Department of Energy, in partnership with the Red Cross, is conducting a household survey to identify vulnerable families eligible for hardship assistance following disruptions during the emergency. Kofe said these measures aim to protect essential services and the most at-risk households while supply and system resilience are improved.
The latest steps come as Tuvalu balances immediate operational fixes with a longer-term shift toward more resilient, renewable-friendly systems. With temporary backup arriving at the end of May, concurrent procurement for permanent generators and international technical assistance from Japan and Australia, the government hopes to close critical gaps exposed by the recent outages and reduce reliance on emergency measures in future crises.