The Standing Committee on Economic Affairs has called for a five-year national strategy to address Fiji’s growing rural electrification backlog, with 8,232 households still awaiting assistance.
In its Inquiry Report on Rural Electrification in Fiji, tabled in Parliament last week, the committee recommended that the Department of Energy develop a long-term plan to clear outstanding applications, including the Solar Home System backlog.
The committee said the strategy should cover the period from 2027 to 2031 and provide Parliament with annual updates on progress.
It also recommended that the Ministry of Public Works, Meteorological Services and Transport, through the Department of Energy, establish and implement a comprehensive Rural Electrification Project Delivery Framework.
The framework should include clear project milestones, implementation timelines, accountability measures and performance indicators for all approved projects.
The committee further recommended that priority be given to completing outstanding rural electrification projects approved between 2015 and 2018, particularly those where funding had already been allocated or preliminary works had commenced.
It called on the Department of Energy and Energy Fiji Limited (EFL) to undertake annual reviews of approved but incomplete projects to identify implementation bottlenecks, funding requirements and projects requiring urgent intervention.
The committee also recommended stronger project monitoring, regular inspections and performance reviews to improve accountability and ensure projects were delivered within approved timelines.
It said EFL should strengthen contractor management through better performance assessments, capacity evaluations and enforcement of contractual obligations relating to project delivery.
To improve transparency, the committee recommended establishing a centralised project information and reporting system.
The system would provide timely information on project approvals, implementation status, expenditure, completion targets and outcomes to stakeholders and beneficiary communities.
The committee also called for better coordination between the Department of Energy, EFL, Provincial Administrations, District Officers and community representatives.
It recommended that EFL introduce defined service standards for invoice processing, inspections, commissioning approvals and contractor communications to minimise unnecessary delays.
The committee further urged the Department of Energy to review long-standing and delayed rural electrification projects to assess the impact of rising costs and identify measures to minimise future cost increases.
It said improved procurement planning, adequate inventories of critical materials and better project sequencing were essential to accelerating rural electrification across Fiji.
