THE Department of Environment in Fiji has rejected the Environmental Impact Assessment report for the proposed Energy-from-Waste plant and private port facility at Vuda Point.
This is a major setback to a $900 million development pitched as a solution to Fiji’s waste and energy needs but criticised by opponents as an example of “waste colonialism.”
In a decision issued after the formal technical review process under the Environment Management Act 2005 and related regulations, the department said the proposal by The Next Generation Holdings (Fiji) Pte Limited fell short of the legal and technical standards required for approval.
Officials said key concerns remained unresolved, including the scale of the project, the source of waste, the handling of imported waste, the disposal of hazardous ash, water supply, public health risks, impacts on roads and port infrastructure, and the project’s social, cultural, tourism, and economic consequences.
Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Dr Sivendra Michael said the ruling was not a rejection of investment or new waste technologies, but a judgment on the quality of the assessment submitted for scrutiny.
“This is not a decision against investment or against new waste solutions. It is a decision on whether the EIA Report met the legal and technical standards required for approval. It did not,” he said.
He said the department could not approve a project of this magnitude while core risks remained unaddressed.
“For a project of this scale, the Department must be satisfied that the risks to people, communities, the environment, culture, livelihoods and the economy are properly assessed and can be properly managed.
“Several critical matters remained unresolved and were proposed for future assessment rather than being addressed within the EIA itself. As a result, the Department was not satisfied that the potential impacts and risks of the project could be adequately assessed or managed,” Michael said.
The proposed facility had been marketed as a major infrastructure and energy project for the western division, with the developer saying it could receive hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste from Australia and Pacific nations and generate up to 80 megawatts of power.
The plant could eventually supply as much as 45 per cent of Fiji’s electricity grid needs and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels, with a deep-water port to service the site.
But the project also triggered fierce public concern, particularly over the idea that Fiji could become a destination for foreign waste.
Critics described the plan as “waste colonialism,” arguing that the country should not import garbage to generate electricity, even if the project promised energy and jobs.
The department’s rejection now shifts the burden back to the proponent, which would need to resolve the outstanding technical and environmental issues before any approval could be reconsidered.
The ministry said it recognised the level of public interest in the proposal and thanked the traditional landowners of Vuda, residents of Vuda and Saweni, government agencies, civil society organisations, technical experts, businesses and members of the public who took part in the review process.
