Fiji has released a fresh tender inviting companies to indicate their interest in constructing four ground-mounted solar PV power plants totaling 31.93MW in capacity.
Introduced by the semi-governmental energy firm Energy Fiji Limited, the tender was unveiled on August 31st, calling on companies to compete for the opportunity to establish 21.93MW of solar PV on Viti Levu Island, in addition to a 10MW solar PV initiative coupled with an energy storage element on Vanua Levu Island. The projects will be developed through a public-private partnership.
Viti Levu, the larger of the two islands and housing the nation’s capital, Suva, will host three out of the four projects outlined in the tender. These projects are to be situated in Tavua (9.460MW), Ba (7.095MW), and Qeleloa (5.375MW), all positioned in the northwestern region of the island.
Spanning approximately 28.51 hectares of land, the projects will require the chosen bidder to handle the development, operation, and maintenance of the ground-mounted grid-connected solar PV initiatives.
Energy Fiji announced that the bidder will be chosen via an international open competitive bidding process, following the guidelines outlined in the Request for Tender (RFT).
Upon selection, negotiations for power purchase agreements (PPAs) and sub-lease agreements for each project site will be conducted with Energy Fiji to facilitate project implementation.
Tackling climate change in Fiji
Back in 2018, PV Tech highlighted Fiji as the inaugural emerging market to introduce a green bond aimed at bolstering efforts in climate change mitigation and adaptation. In collaboration with the World Bank, Fiji’s Reserve Bank issued a sovereign green bond, successfully raising FJD100 million (US$50 million) for this purpose.
The funds raised will be allocated towards enhancing resilience against the effects of climate change, with Fiji intending to utilize them to aid in achieving its goal of attaining 100% renewable energy by 2030.
Fiji faces significant vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, with close to 20% of the population in the Pacific Islands at risk of displacement.
