The Energy Fiji Limited, previously the Fiji Electricity Authority, was established, incorporated and constituted under the provisions of the Electricity Act of 1966 and began operating from 1 August of that year. Fiji Electricity Authority (FEA) was corporatised into Energy Fiji Limited (EFL) on 16 April 2018, a public company limited by shares, and was registered under the Companies Act. EFL has also been appointed as the successor entity of FEA. One of the key objectives of the corporatisation of FEA is to provide an opportunity for Fijians to share in the economic benefits of FEA and list the newly corporatised entity on the South Pacific Stock Exchange which will promote the development of Fiji’s capital market. In March 2017, a new Electricity Act 2017 was passed by Parliament, however, the new Electricity Act 2017 was gazetted on 1st October 2019 and came into effect.

All independent electricity suppliers were brought under the EFL’s wing. Five years after its establishment (1971) plans for a 10 MW (megawatt) diesel generating station at Vuda was announced. Demand for power increased by 30 percent annually those days. Vuda was the most ambitious project undertaken by EFL. By 1978, the Suva City Council’s electricity department, which was the biggest and oldest, was acquired by EFL. After initially serving fewer than 2500 customers, by the end of 2005, EFL was supplying electricity to more than 130,000 customers. Now, there is about 5 percent growth in demand for electricity supply. Projections predicted a doubling in demand during the 1970s. Fossil fuel prices were escalating and hydro electricity was a feasible alternative to diesel power stations. In 1972 ENEX of New Zealand prepared a detailed report, four years later the EFL commissioned Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners to prepare a 25 year power programme.

The Monasavu hydro electric scheme was a dominant feature. The Monasavu cost was met through international and local funding and Government grants. The project is a dramatic testimony to a determination to increase Fiji’s self sufficiency in the critical area of the economy. From Monasavu two 132 kV (kilo volts) transmission lines (one to Vuda in the west and the other to Cunningham for Central) were constructed to supply power to the main island. At these two locations – Vuda and Cunningham, voltage drops down from 132 kV to 33 kV at sub stations then down to 11kv to transformers. From there it dropps to 240 volts for domestic and 415 volts for industrial customers. EFL’s vision is “energising our nation” and its mission that “it will provide clean and affordable energy solutions to Fiji and the Pacific. EFL aims to provide all energy through renewable resources by 2011”.

With the escalating price of fuel (which is beyond EFL’s control) EFL plans to meet new electricity demand with sustainable energy solutions to help ensure that Fiji Islands have a secure, continuous and reliable power supply at the lowest possible cost. In 2005, EFL had spent $65 million on fuel. A mini hydro power station in Wainikasou commissioned in 2004 added 6 MW of power capacity and 18 GWh per annum of renewable energy. The 2.8 MW Vaturu hydro scheme adds a further 19 GWh per annum of renewable energy.

In 2005, EFL purchased a new state of the art $ 26 million Power Plant with an installed capacity of 30MW. The four new Caterpillar diesel generator sets (each of capacity 7.45MW) are equipped with Programmable Logic Controls (PLC) ensuring greater operational and diesel efficiency. Its self diagnostic management systems provide proactive information to maintenance staff. These gensets’ capability to run on bio-fuels underpins EFL’s long term strategy of providing all energy supplied by EFL through renewable resources as it has the flexibility to utilise biodiesel. The $F30 million 10 MW Butoni Wind Power Farm is the latest renewable energy project which is commissioned now is generating electricity. The Butoni project will save the country about $ 2.5 million of foreign exchange (as we do not have to import the equivalent fuel) per annum and may save about 7544 tonnes per annum of green house gases that contribute to global warming. Other investigation works are continuing on further wind development sites, solar energy, geothermal, gasification and fuel conversion opportunities.