CONSTRUCTION work on the Fijian Holdings Ltd’s FHL Tower will soon resume, the company announced in its latest newsletter released this week. Work had come to a halt last December following a workplace incident in which two workers sustained injuries that led to the death of one of them.

FHL had announced at the South Pacific Stock Exchange (SPX) that the incident had delayed its planned opening that month.

“Following the recent market announcement in December 2024, we reaffirm that the safety and well-being of everyone involved in the FHL Tower project remains our utmost priority,” FHL stated in its February 2025 newsletter.

“We are collaborating closely with our main contractor and the relevant authorities to facilitate commencement of work on the project, ensuring the highest safety standards are maintained.”

The company said the remaining components of the tower have been sourced internationally and are expected to arrive soon, although it offered no specific opening date.

“We are excited about the opportunities this landmark modern development will bring, enhancing Suva’s skyline and supporting economic growth.

“We appreciate the ongoing support of our stakeholders and look forward to celebrating the opening of the FHL Tower together in the near future.”

Construction work on the tower, which FHL had stated in its 2024 annual report was its “most significant investment and a beacon of our future aspirations”, had begun in 2018 but completion was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A subsequent $40million variation claim by contractor China Railway First Group (CRFG) was pushed back by FHL, who refused on the basis that it was over 60 per cent the initial $62m cost of the project.

The stalemate in talks resulted in claims by FHL that CRFG was dragging its feet on construction work.

In FHL’s 2024 annual general meeting in October last year, FHL chief executive officer Jaoji Koroi had told shareholders that after doing its own independent assessment, FHL had decided it would only pay out $12.5m to CRFG for variation.

This, he said, brought the total cost of the project to $74.5m.

At the AGM, Mr Koroi said 85 percent of tenancy for the Tower had already been secured.

NOTE: This article was first published in the print edition of the Fiji Times dated FEBRUARY 12, 2025.