Tuvalu’s power supply is holding for now but authorities are rushing in temporary measures and technical help to reduce the risk of further disruption, Transport and Energy Minister Simon Kofe said as a 14‑day state of emergency ended on April 27, 2026.
Kofe told media that recent blackouts were traced to network faults rather than failures of the island nation’s generators. “Generators are operating well. Recent blackouts were due to network issues, not generator faults,” he said, adding that work to integrate solar into the grid has advanced after a communication cable to the battery system was repaired.
The government has secured short‑term backup while pursuing permanent replacements. A rental generator, funded by the Asian Development Bank, is expected to arrive on May 28 and will provide backup for an estimated three to six months, Kofe said. Procurement for permanent backup generators is set to begin in early May, with technical advisors already on the ground to support tenders and system assessments.
International partners are stepping in on several fronts. The Government of Japan is arranging to send a Daihatsu specialist to assist Tuvalu Electricity Corporation (TEC) staff with existing generator issues, while Australia is providing technical advisers to strengthen TEC’s financial and operational systems. Public Works and national ICT teams are also working with TEC to bolster infrastructure resilience and system security.
Authorities are mindful of the human impact of outages. The Department of Energy, in cooperation with the Red Cross, is conducting a survey to identify households eligible for hardship assistance during and after the emergency period. Kofe said these measures aim to target support where it is most needed while the backup arrangements are in place.
Fuel availability remains stable in the short term: the next tanker is scheduled to arrive on May 13. Kofe said work is under way, with Australian support, to increase Tuvalu’s fuel storage capacity to reduce vulnerability to future supply interruptions.
The new timeline — a rental unit arriving late next month, Japan’s technical support, and procurement kicking off in early May — represents a clear shift from immediate crisis management to a staged response combining temporary relief with plans for permanent capacity. Officials stress the rental generator should buy time for careful procurement and for technical fixes that will allow higher shares of solar to work reliably alongside diesel generation.