ENERGY Fiji Limited (EFL) has appointed energy specialist consultant Fatiaki Gibson as its new chief executive officer to lead the company’s aggressive multibillion dollar green energy transition.
Mr Gibson will spearhead EFL’s $2billion investment to develop 165 megawatts of solar energy source in the country.
EFL chairman Rokoseru Nabalarua announced the appointment at a press conference in Suva yesterday, noting Mr Gibson was no stranger to EFL, having been involved in major projects including the development of the Nadarivatu hydro.
“So him coming in, he basically will hit the ground running, and particularly in terms of the aggressive approach we need to take in transitioning very quickly, in developing renewable energy and is part of our green energy transition,” Mr Nabalarua said.
“I’m happy to announce that within the next four years, we will be developing about 165MW of solar.”
In the interim, Mr Nabalarua said they would also invest in another 50MW of fossil fuel to fill the gap while it developed other renewable energy sources to ensure it does not run out of power.
“He (Mr Gibson) surely has got the full support of the board.
“We have appointed him as our CEO and we are excited to work with him, particularly in terms of the growing needs of power in Fiji, which we are finding is growing very fast and we need to find solutions for it.
“And our first priority of course is making sure we keep the lights on.”
Mr Gibson, who acknowledged the board’s confidence in his appointment, said he looked forward to the new role to help EFL develop the required energy sources and infrastructure.
“We have long term plans for developing those hydro energy sources and that takes a bit of time,” the former EFL general manager Major Projects said.
He said preparatory work would run parallel with the development of solar energy sources and long term for geothermal.
“Energy is very key to the development of our country, as well as economic development. So, I am happy to be involved and to lead the organisation to help our country grow in the next four to 10 years,” Mr Gibson said.
Mr Gibson’s appointment came into effect yesterday.
He replaces Hasmukh Patel who retired from the position, having held it since August 2008.
NOTE: This article was first published in the print edition of the Fiji Times dated April 2, 2025.
