From pv magazine Global.
State-owned utility Energy Fiji Ltd is ready to start the search for a private sector partner to develop “the largest solar project of its kind in the Pacific to date” after signing a financing agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
A press release issued by the IFC, the private sector arm of multilateral development lender the World Bank, revealed plans for a US$15 million solar project to install at least 15 MW of generation capacity connected to the Energy Fiji grid which supplies 90% of the nation’s population.
The IFC said the solar capacity could supply up to 14,000 households and stated an intent to examine the renewables potential of the nation’s second largest island, Vanua Levu.
With the authorities in Suva targeting a fully renewables-powered energy system in 2030, the solar project is being backed by the governments of Australia and New Zealand – through the Fiji Partnership – and of Denmark.
The IFC said Fiji currently generates half its electricity from hydropower plants – identified on the Energy Fiji website as 80 MW and 40 MW facilities on Viti Levu; 45% from fossil fuel imports which contributed around a fifth, or FJ$1.17 billion (US$550 million), of the nation’s total imports bill last year; and 5% from biomass and wind plants. Energy Fiji says its 237 MW generation portfolio includes 112 MW of diesel facilities at 14 locations. The nation has a total generation capacity of 267 MW, according to the IFC.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.