In 2023, almost two-thirds of Fiji’s electricity came from low-carbon sources, while fossil fuels supplied just over a third. Hydropower dominated the clean electricity mix, providing about 52% of all electricity, with biofuels contributing another 10%. Fiji therefore has a strong low-carbon foundation, but its roughly 37% reliance on fossil electricity leaves substantial scope for cleaner generation that reduces climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Fiji?

Fiji’s electricity consumption per person has essentially stalled rather than grown beyond its previous peak. In 2023, consumption reached 1,244 kWh per person, just 2 kWh below the record set in 2019. Encouragingly, low-carbon electricity generation reached a new high of 790 kWh per person, exceeding the previous 2020 record by 47 kWh, or about 6%. This clean electricity growth is worth celebrating, but the lack of overall per-person consumption growth is concerning as electrification and expanding digital services create additional demand.

Suggestions

Fiji can build on its hydropower foundation by accelerating solar deployment, supported by storage and grid improvements, and developing wind where local conditions are suitable. Nearby Pacific island regions offer especially relevant examples: Samoa and Vanuatu each generate about 13% of their electricity from solar, while the US state of Hawaii achieves about 23%. Cape Verde provides another island example, generating about 14% from solar and another 14% from wind. Fiji should also consider nuclear electricity as a long-term clean option, including evaluating emerging smaller reactors and opportunities for international cooperation. France and Slovakia, where nuclear supplies roughly two-thirds of electricity, demonstrate its potential to support a predominantly low-carbon electricity system, although Fiji would need an approach tailored to its own electricity demand and grid.

History

Fiji’s recorded low-carbon electricity history is largely a story of hydropower expansion punctuated by fluctuations. Hydro generation rose by 0.3 TWh in 1984 and another 0.1 TWh in 1990. During the 2000s, biofuels added 0.1 TWh in 2000, while hydro increased by 0.1 TWh in 2001, fell by the same amount in 2003, and rose by 0.2 TWh in 2007; several other listed years showed no change. In the 2010s, hydro fluctuated by 0.1 TWh at a time, with decreases in 2010 and 2014 and increases in 2012, 2016 and 2018. Biofuels also increased by 0.1 TWh in 2018, fell by that amount in 2022, and recovered it in 2023, while hydro was unchanged in 2022. These gains provide a useful foundation for a more sustained expansion of clean electricity.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade