Energy Fiji Ltd must slash waste, lift efficiency and come clean on its costs instead of taking the “easy way out” by increasing electricity prices.
Leader of Opposition Inia Seruiratu made the comments while referring to the talk of share sales saying tariff increases missed the real problem: how EFL is being run.
“Before EFL asks for more money from your pockets, they need to do their own ‘housekeeping’,” he said.
He said the company should stop pushing for a 25 per cent tariff increase and focus instead on cutting its own operational costs, especially now that world-class Japanese partners were on board.
“With the expertise of world-class Japanese partners now on board, EFL has access to some of the best management and engineering technology in the world.
“They should be using this to run more efficiently, not to charge you more.”
Mr Seruiratu also criticised EFL’s continued reliance on diesel generators using heavy fuel oil, saying it undermined claims of building a “Green Fiji”.
“It is disappointing to see that while we talk about a ‘Green Fiji’, EFL is still installing diesel generators that use heavy fuel oil.
“The whole point of bringing in partners like Chugoku Electric was to move away from fossil fuels.”
He said the original goal of diversifying ownership was to use Japanese technology to expand solar and hydro projects, delivering cheaper and cleaner power in the long run.
Mr Seruiratu also demanded full transparency, calling on EFL to publicly disclose the cost of producing one unit of electricity from different sources.
“The Fijian people deserve to know exactly where their money is going.
Mr Seruiratu said EFL should reveal what it costs to generate power from hydro, diesel and independent producers and how much that same unit is sold to consumers.
He rejected claims that Japanese investors were behind the latest 25 per cent increase, saying pricing decisions sat with the regulator.
“The Japanese partners do not decide the prices; that is the job of the FCCC,” he said.
“When we were in government in 2019, we only allowed a tiny increase of 2.74 per cent.”
He said the current increase reflected a failure to follow proper regulatory and consultation processes, warning that families were paying the price.
