WSHPDR_2013_Final_Report-updated_version

Melanesia
5.2.1 Fiji
Lara Esser, International Center on Small Hydro Power
Key facts
Population 890,057 1
Area 18,272 km 2 (land area), 104,000 km 2
(total area) 2
Climate Tropical marine, only slight seasonal
temperature variation
Topography Three hundred and twenty islands (only
one third are inhabited); mostly
mountains of volcanic origin
Rain
pattern
Rainfall is usually abundant during the
wet season (November to April),
especially over the larger islands, and is
often deficient during the rest of the
year, particularly in the dry zone on the
north-western sides of the main
islands. Annual rainfall in the dry zones
averages around 2,000 mm, whereas in
the wet zones, it ranges from 3,000 mm
around the coast to 6,000 mm on the
mountainous sites. The smaller islands
receive between 1,500 mm and 3,500
mm. 3
Electricity overview
The total installed capacity of all Fiji’s power plants is
269 MW (2011). A small part of the total capacity are
plants independent of the national electricity utility
Fiji Electric Authority (FEA), and operated by villages,
Wind
IPPs
1%
2%
Small hydropower sector overview and potential
Fiji has had a history of small hydropower production
dating back to the 1920s (figure 2). Schemes with
capacities up to 100 kW are referred to as micro
hydropower, and capacities up to 1.5 MW are mini
hydropower. 2
SHP installed
capacity
SHP potential
~10 MW
0 5 10 15
Figure 2 Small hydropower capacities in Fiji
14.7 MW
The Fijian Department of Energy (DoE) is carrying out
monitoring and evaluation of potential sites. The DoE
has published preliminary data collected from roughly
200 sites around the country. The total installed
micro-hydropower capacity is about 960 kW (84 per
cent at Wainikeu/Wainiqeu, a system operated by the
FEA). It is estimated that the four additional sites
where the DoE is planning to install monitoring
equipment might represent a combined 500 kW
potential. 6
In the beginning of 2011, a feasibility study was
carried out for a small hydropower plant on Fiji’s third
largest island, Taveuni. The project will be built to
reduce its reliance on diesel-powered generators. The
dam site is on a creek interspersed with high falls, in
the forests behind Somosomo village. 7 There is a
proposed project at Somosomo on Taveuni island with
a capacity of 700 kW in a run-of-river configuration.
China is providing a US$10-million grant to fund the
construction of the hydropower scheme. 8
and the Public Works Department. 5 34%
Heavy fuel oil
Diesel
Hydropower
15%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Figure 1 Electricity generation in Fiji
Source: Fiji Electricity Agency 4
Note: Data from 2010.
In 2010, 48 per cent of electricity production came
from hydropower (figure 1). The majority of
hydropower plants are publicly owned. About 60 MW
of FEA’s own generating capacity are hydropower. Fiji
is well endowed with resources for development of
both large- and small-scale hydropower projects. The
technically feasible hydropower potential in Fiji is
estimated to be 1,089 GWh/year, and so far about 36
per cent of the potential has been developed. 5
48%
In the case of Fiji, if the three bigger installations at
Wainikasou and Vaturu are excluded, there are still a
number of mini or micro hydro sites with an installed
capacity of approximately 960 kW as shown in the
table. Eighty-four per cent of this is at the
Wainiqeu/Wainikeu system operated by FEA and
connected to the Vanua Levu grid.
Small hydropower projects in Fiji
Project/
system
Location
(island)
Installation
year
Capacity
(kW)
Wainiqeu Vanua Levu 1992 800
Nasoqo Viti levu 1984 4
Bukuya Viti Levu 1989 100
Vatukarasa Viti Levu 1993 3
Koro Kadavu 1994 20
Muana,
Cakaudrove
Vanua Levu 1999 30
Source: APCTT-UNESCAP 9
Currently, there are at least two Clean Development
Mechanism financed small hydropower plants in Fiji.
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