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It is essential for Fiji to move towards a low-carbon economy with the transport sector being a key focus area for reducing green house gas emissions since it accounts for 40 percent of the country’s total fuel import bill says permanent secretary for Works and Transport, Cama Tuiloma.
Tuiloma told a renewable energy workshop in Suva today that Fiji’s energy consumption had tripled in the four-year period from 2004 to 2008, rising from $400 million to a little over $1.2 billion.
He said the country’s dependence and vulnerability to world wide price fluctuations on imported petroleum products was “therefore of great concern to government”.
Tuiloma said the Reserve Bank of Fiji’s recommendation to reduce petroleum imports by $100 million annually over the next three years “is not an easy task”.
“It is intended for every organisation, home and individual citizen of our country to use energy more wisely,” he said.
The two-day workshop will look at how businesses in Fiji can dedicate funds to renewable energy and energy efficiency and is being run by the Sustainable Energy Financing Project, a World Bank initiative.
Tuiloma also told the workshop that the government is developing an Energy Policy and an Energy Bill that seeks to ensure energy security and maximise efficient and renewable energy.
He said that government through the Department of Energy will continue to conduct extensive consultations with government policy makers and regulators as well as the business community and other stakeholders to design and implement the correct policy and regulatory frameworks.
By Richard Naidu
