Australia is stepping up its commitment to supporting rural electrification in Fiji’s remote islands, investing AUD8.25 million into the Fiji Rural Electrification Fund (FREF), the fund’s largest investment to date.
This funding includes AUD7.25 million from the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) through its Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership (PCIFP). It will help bring solar power to some of Fiji’s most remote communities. An additional AUD1 million comes from Australia’s budget support to Fiji.
The funding is through a Direct Financing Agreement with the Fiji Government, which is a major boost for the FREF Trust Fund's efforts to drive rural electrification.
This investment will directly support solar electrification for at least five off-grid island communities, pushing Fiji closer to its goal of providing 100 per cent of its population with access to reliable electricity.
Currently, 300 communities—four per cent of Fijians—still rely on expensive, unreliable, or no access to electricity.
Reliable power will improve connectivity, allowing families to use mobile phones and access digital services, and enhance food security through access to refrigeration and irrigation.
For these communities, solar electricity means safer homes and streets, better healthcare, and stronger education. Reliable lighting allows children to study at night, health clinics to operate more efficiently, and businesses to thrive after dark. Access to light brings safety, progress and a better quality of life.
This latest investment builds on work already underway through FREF’s implementing partner, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The fund has already proven successful, with a 2017 pilot project on Vio Island providing 47 households with affordable solar power for as little as FJD 18 (AUD 12) per month.
The funding will enable FREF to scale up its activities, starting with three maritime villages: Yadrana on Lakeba Island, Salia on Kioa Island, and Yacata on Yacata Island.
These first sites will power 249 households, directly benefiting over 1,000 people. Over the next 18 months, the program aims to electrify up to 17 more rural villages.
Australia, working alongside the Fijian Government, UNDP, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, is not only expanding access to clean energy but also helping attract private sector investment to keep these projects sustainable.
Through Australia’s support, more Fijian communities will have a brighter, more sustainable future while also supporting Fiji in meeting its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.