FUNAFUTI — Tuvalu’s power system is holding steady but the government is rushing in temporary measures and international support to guard against renewed disruption as a 14‑day State of Emergency ends this week, Transport and Energy Minister Simon Kofe said on Monday.
Speaking after the emergency period, Kofe said recent blackouts were caused by network problems rather than failures of the island nation’s diesel generators. “Generators are operating well. Recent blackouts were due to network issues, not generator faults,” he told reporters, adding that technical teams are already in-country addressing those faults and strengthening system security with Public Works and ICT staff working alongside the Tuvalu Electricity Corporation (TEC).
New contingency steps now have concrete dates. A rental generator, funded by the Asian Development Bank, is expected to arrive on 28 May and will act as temporary backup for about three to six months while permanent units are procured. Procurement for those permanent backup generators is advancing, with bids anticipated in early May, Kofe said. The Government of Japan is also exploring support, including sending a Daihatsu specialist to assist with the existing generator fleet at TEC.
The minister outlined progress in integrating renewable power into the grid, a priority since the outages began. Kofe said compatibility problems between older generators and the battery-backed solar system have been resolved — including replacement of a faulty communication cable to the battery system — allowing solar generation to play a reliable role in meeting demand. Technical advisors from Australia will support TEC to strengthen financial systems and accounts while engineers focus on operational resilience.
Fuel security remains a central concern. Kofe said the next fuel shipment is scheduled for 13 May and that efforts are underway, with Australian support, to boost on-island storage capacity to reduce vulnerability to supply interruptions. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy and the Red Cross are carrying out a household survey to identify families eligible for hardship assistance after the emergency period.
This update marks a shift from emergency crisis management to short- and medium-term resilience building: temporary generation capacity arriving in late May, procurement processes for permanent equipment starting in May, and targeted international technical aid. Kofe framed the measures as part of a layered approach — patching immediate gaps, fixing network vulnerabilities, and improving the longer-term mix of diesel and renewables to reduce future disruptions.
The State of Emergency, declared earlier in response to the power situation, is expected to end on 29 April 2026. With technical teams on the ground and international partners lined up, the government says it aims to stabilise supply and prevent another round of outages while longer-term upgrades proceed.