FUNAFUTI — Tuvalu will receive an Asian Development Bank-funded rental generator on 28 May to shore up the country’s electricity supply while permanent replacements are procured, Transport and Energy Minister Simon Kofe announced on Monday as a 14-day State of Emergency over the power situation comes to an end.
Kofe said the rental unit will act as a temporary backup for three to six months, buying time for procurement and delivery of new generation capacity. “Generators are operating well. Recent blackouts were due to network issues, not generator faults,” he told reporters, stressing that the immediate risk is to the distribution network rather than the island nation’s current generation fleet.
The government says technical teams are already working on the ground and that bids for permanent backup generators are expected in early May. Technical advisors from Australia are in-country to help strengthen financial systems and accounts at the Tuvalu Electricity Corporation (TEC), while Public Works Department and ICT teams are coordinating with TEC to upgrade infrastructure and system security.
International partners are stepping in to tackle specific technical problems. The Government of Japan is exploring support to send a Daihatsu specialist to assist with the existing generators, and Australian advisers will assist with procurement and financial resilience. Kofe also reported improvements in renewable integration: communication cable faults with the battery system have been fixed, allowing solar generation to better support the grid and easing some pressure on diesel units.
Fuel supply, a critical vulnerability for the diesel-dependent system, is reported to be stable for now. The next fuel tanker is scheduled to arrive on 13 May, and the government — with assistance from Australia — is moving to strengthen fuel storage capacity to reduce the risk of future disruptions.
Domestic relief work is also under way. The Department of Energy, together with the Red Cross, is conducting a survey to identify households eligible for hardship assistance after outages during the emergency. Kofe said technical advisors are providing operational support to ensure that financial and logistical systems at TEC can manage the transition while procurement and equipment upgrades proceed.
This latest update follows a fortnight-long emergency response triggered by a spate of power interruptions that prompted the government to impose a State of Emergency earlier this month. Officials say the immediate crisis is stabilising but that the arrival of the ADB-funded rental generator and the successful procurement of permanent backups will be critical to bolstering resilience for the months ahead. Japan’s possible technical assistance and Australia’s advisory role underline the regional support being mobilised to help Tuvalu manage an energy system that is increasingly integrating renewables while remaining reliant on imported fuel.