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Two locations on Vanua Levu, north of Fiji, have been identified as potential sites to be explored and drilled to determine its sustainability to be sources of geothermal power to supplement Fiji’s increasing electricity needs.
Savusavu and Tabia, outside Labasa, the existing Tavua Caldera and Vatukoula areas have been identified by the Ministry of Lands, Mineral Resources and Environment to have its resources explored as part of moves to encourage use of renewable energy.
The ministry is responsible for the licensing of exploration activities for geothermal resources and its heat.
Interim Minister Netani Sukanaivalu said geothermal energy could produce steam that spun turbine generators to produce electricity and Fiji was potentially positioned for this renewable energy source given its abundant natural resources.
He said the ministry was currently looking to issue licences for exploration and exploitation of these resources in Savusavu, Tabia, Tavua Caldera and Vatukoula areas.
“The company that is undertaking such exploration activities will be conducting exploratory drilling operations by June in Savusavu and Tabia to further determine the temperature levels and sustainability of these sources,” Sukanaivalu said.
“Unlike Australia and the USA where one has to drill more than 6000 metres to get the temperature of more 250 degrees Celsius, Fiji’s geothermal resources require drilling of the earth’s crust to 400 metres deep to reach 250 degrees Celsius,” he said.
Sukanaivalu said depending on the temperature, geothermal systems could generate between 20 megawatt (MW) to 2000 MW of electrical energy through simple heat exchange processes.
“So, as you can see, there is potential for renewable energy in the form of geothermal electricity right here in our backyard,” he said.
Sukanaivalu said the list of renewable energy available in Fiji could go on “but what we really need is optimising the resources that we so abundantly have around us – the wind, sun, ocean, all of these can generate renewable energy”.
Last month, a Sydney-based company presented a proposal to the Interim Government to harness geothermal power to supplement Fiji’s electricity needs.
Mitchell Morgan Investments presented the proposal on how to carry out the project, which is anticipated to involve reaching into Fiji’s underground hot rocks to provide cheaper power supply.
“Right now we are spending more than $98 million to import fossils fuel to meet 55 per cent of Fiji’ s total power demand, with the remaining 45 per cent coming mainly from hydro electric plants,” he had said.
