[Photo: File]
Energy Fiji Limited says land approvals, environmental requirements, and procurement processes remain critical challenges for major electricity projects.
EFL Chief Financial Officer Semisi Tawake says securing funding alone is not enough, as projects require extensive technical preparation, regulatory approvals, and commercial planning.
He says these requirements determine how quickly projects move into implementation.
EFL says that infrastructure development requires better coordination across technical teams, financiers, regulators, and stakeholders.
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“At EFL, our experience is that having an infrastructure ambition and having access to capital are both important, but neither by themselves to deliver infrastructure. Between ambition and investment sits a significant amount of work around technical preparation, land approvals, safeguards, procurement, commercial structuring and risk allocation.”
Tawake adds that delays in any single area can stall an entire project, regardless of funding availability.
“There is a journey from identifying a system need to defining a technical solution, securing land for complete environmental and social safeguards and approvals, establishing a commercial structure and risk allocation, preparing procurement and finally achieving financial growth. Any of these areas can become the critical part. Therefore a project can be technically sensible and even economically effective, but still not be ready to absorb financing.”
The Ministry of Finance says early engagement with development partners and financiers is essential to identifying potential obstacles before they affect project delivery.
EFL is pursuing a two-billion-dollar investment programme to strengthen Fiji’s electricity grid and expand renewable energy generation.