Page 30 - IB November 2024

Renewable Energy Renewable Energy

HOTELS JOIN CLIMATE BATTLE

JOINT EFFORT ON CLEAN ENERGY

Solar Hub Fiji installs solar panels on the roof of the Tourism Fiji Headquarters. Source: Solar Hub Fiji Facebook Page

By Aisha Azeemah activities and sustainable practices, rarely has any tourism
industry stakeholder been able to penetrate the renewable
As the urgency surrounding climate change mitigation energy market.
strategies increases and the significance of renewable In a recent interview with Islands Business, Lockington
energy sources grows on a global scale, many Pacific Island shared her concerns regarding preferential policies
countries edge closer to irreparable damage to their delicate and outdated procedures as inhibitors to private sector
ecosystems. involvement in renewable energy.
In Fiji, the dire circumstances have been addressed by the “Most of it has to do with there being no clarity on how
enactment of acts of Parliament, policies, regulations, and off-the-grid connections take place and [the Electricity Act of
strategic plans. On paper, Fiji appears to be a Pacific leader 2017] covers only the usual commercial business operations,”
in climate change mitigation and green energy solutions, Lockington said, “which are not often inclusive of tourism’s
but some have questioned the seemingly slow uptake of specific needs and the direction it is moving to as an industry
renewable energy projects on the ground. for sustainability.
Energy Fiji Limited (EFL), Fiji’s national energy supplier, “As such, the industry often, rightly, feels that it is moving
has announced a fair few major renewable energy projects in one direction—very quickly—because of the need to
over the past few years, most recently collaborations with compete at a global level; while Fiji’s policies that impact it
the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank as partner on are still stuck in the 1960s or earlier, when these policies were
a project for a renewable energy reliant Vanua Levu, and as first enacted,” she said.
transaction advisor for renewable energy goals, respectively. “Industry stakeholders are increasingly frustrated by
The push towards renewable energy, however, is approval processes that no longer make sense, do not provide
demonstrably best done as a collaborative effort. for technological advances or do not consider tourism-specific
While many private sector renewable energy projects have operations.”
been conceived, and some announced, over the past 10 years, The Electricity Act of 2017 places a considerable amount of
few have reached completion. power in the hands of Energy Fiji Limited, despite its goal to
CEO of the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association, Fantasha “promote competition in the electricity industry”.
Lockington, has long been vocal on the intentions of the Section 16 of the Act states that, “where a person intends
tourism industry to support green projects. While several to self-supply, unless such self-supply was occurring before
hotels and resorts have successfully launched climate-friendly the commencement date, that person must provide details

30 Islands Business, November 2024