The Government is looking to accelerate its transition to solar energy, acknowledging that progress towards renewable energy targets has not met expectations.
Speaking at a regional energy conference, Minister for Public Works Ro Filipe Tuisawau highlighted the importance of strengthening efforts to meet both short and long-term goals.
“Yes, it’s a very important conference in terms of what Sustainable Energy Industry Association of the Pacific Islands (SEIAP), as an organisation is doing,” Ro Filipe said.
“For the Government, the objective is to move forward in terms of renewable energy. There are goals there in terms of the immediate term, by 2030 and 2050.”
He said collaboration with key stakeholders remained critical in achieving these targets.
“So that’s one of the objectives, working closely with the Energy Fiji Limited, but also within our Department of Energy.
“At the moment, the progress is not what we wanted or what we were aiming for, so we would like to accelerate that.”
The minister acknowledged several challenges, including regulatory and legislative barriers.
“Some of that is related to the current setup we have in terms of the legislative regulatory framework. So we are working closely on that with IRENA, (International Renewable Energy Agency), and also within government to ensure that we work towards that.”
Ro Filipe said incentive programs were being explored to encourage investment in solar energy.
“For example, enabling not only connecting the solar power investors who are waiting there, but also in terms of rooftop solar for individual houses.”
Meanwhile, alternative energy options remain under consideration.
“That’s one of the options currently being looked at. But of course, we are also looking at other viable locations for hydro and also in terms of solar power.”
