EARLIER this month, Fiji’s Department of Environment rejected the EIA for The Next Generation Holdings (Fiji) Pte Limited’s proposed Energy-from-Waste plant and private port at Vuda Point, saying the assessment did not meet legal and technical standards.
The decision leaves the $FJD900 million project facing unresolved questions over imported waste, hazardous ash, water supply, public health, and infrastructure impacts.
Now, TNG is fighting back to fight over the rejected energy-from-waste proposal to Fiji’s Environmental Tribunal, arguing the Department of Environment denied the company fair and lawful assessment process.
The company is seeking to overturn the Department’s decision to reject its Fiji Energy-from-Waste Project, which it says would deliver 80 megawatts of firm baseload electricity at Vuda Point, reduce reliance on imported diesel and divert waste from landfill.
Under Fijian law, the Environmental Tribunal is an independent statutory body empowered to hear appeals against Department of Environment decisions.
TNG says its appeal rests on a series of procedural and legal concerns, including the Department’s handling of information requests, the timing of the review process, and the use of third-party submissions.
Among the company’s grounds of appeal is the claim that the Department misread its own powers by concluding it could not seek further information after TNG submitted its Environmental Impact Assessment, even though the law allows it to do so.
TNG also alleges it was not given advance notice of 31 technical questions raised at a review meeting, that the Committee’s report was substantially drafted before its consultation meeting, and that it was denied the chance to review or answer outside submissions relied upon in the final decision.
The company further says the rejection cited information as missing from its documents when that material was already included, and that its written responses to the review Committee’s questions, submitted within five days, were not evidently considered before the decision was issued.
TNG Director
Rob Cromb, Director of TNG Holdings Fiji, said: “This appeal is about ensuring that decisions on nationally significant projects are made through a process that is complete, transparent, evidence-based and consistent with the Environment Management Act.”
TNG says the proposed facility would support Fiji’s energy security and emissions-reduction goals while addressing waste-management pressures across the Pacific.
The company argues that the project reflects a wider regional shift toward waste-to-energy, as governments seek alternatives to imported fossil fuels and growing landfill volumes.
“TNG’s facility at Vuda Point would generate 80 megawatts of firm baseload electricity, divert waste from landfill and reduce dependence on imported diesel to generate power. In doing so, it would support Fiji’s national energy security and emissions reduction objectives.”
“The Pacific faces a waste crisis and an energy crisis simultaneously. This project addresses both. The net environmental benefit is unambiguous,” said Cromb.
“TNG respects the role of both the Department of Environment and the Technical Review Committee, and we look forward to the consideration of our appeal by the Environmental Tribunal.”
Haniff Tuitoga Lawyers are representing TNG in the matter. The company said it would not make further public comment while the Tribunal process is underway.
