In 2023, almost two-thirds of Fiji’s electricity consumption came from low-carbon sources, while just over a third came from fossil fuels. Hydropower supplied slightly more than half of all electricity, making it the backbone of Fiji’s clean electricity supply. Biofuels contributed about 10%, within the overall low-carbon share of roughly 63%. Expanding clean electricity would help Fiji reduce fossil fuel use and its associated climate impacts and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Fiji?

Fiji’s electricity consumption per person was essentially flat compared with its historical peak: it reached 1,244 kWh in 2023, just 2 kWh below the record set in 2019. This lack of overall growth deserves attention as electrification creates additional electricity needs. Encouragingly, low-carbon electricity generation reached a new record of 790 kWh per person, exceeding the previous high of 743 kWh in 2020 by 47 kWh, or about 6%. Clean electricity is therefore advancing, even though total electricity consumption per person has not yet surpassed its earlier peak.

Suggestions

Fiji can build on its hydropower foundation by expanding solar electricity and developing wind generation at suitable sites. Nearby Pacific island regions offer useful examples: Samoa and Vanuatu each generate about 13% of their electricity from solar, while the US state of Hawaii reaches about 23%. Cape Verde also demonstrates how an island system can combine solar and wind, with each supplying roughly 14% of electricity. Fiji could learn from these places about deploying clean generation across island communities, supported by storage and stronger grids. It should also consider nuclear electricity as a longer-term option, assessing technologies suited to its electricity system and developing relevant expertise through international cooperation. France and Slovakia, where nuclear supplies about two-thirds of electricity, demonstrate its potential to provide substantial low-carbon generation, although their systems differ considerably from Fiji’s.

History

Fiji’s recorded low-carbon electricity gains have largely come from hydropower. Generation increased by 0.3 TWh in 1984 and another 0.1 TWh in 1990. During the 2000s, biofuels added 0.1 TWh in 2000, while hydropower rose by 0.1 TWh in 2001, fell by the same amount in 2003, and increased by 0.2 TWh in 2007. The 2010s brought alternating hydro declines and gains: decreases of 0.1 TWh in 2010 and 2014 were followed by increases of that size in 2012, 2016, and 2018. Biofuels also increased by 0.1 TWh in 2018, then declined by that amount in 2022 before recovering it in 2023. Several other listed years showed no change, highlighting the importance of sustained additions to clean electricity generation rather than intermittent progress.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade