RENEWABLE ENERGY ROADMAP SET FOR LAUNCHING
The Solomon Islands Renewable Energy Road Map (RERM) is set for launching on Friday 22 July in Honiara.
A statement from the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification (MMERE) today says the Road Map report was formulated by the Ministry in partnership with Solomon Power with support by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The roadmap is aiming to convert the Honiara electricity grid to 100% renewable energy (RE) by year 2030.
Honiara is the largest electricity grid and demand load center in the country that subsidizes the cost of delivering electricity to our provincial and other growth centers.
The present renewable energy contribution into Honiara grid is only around 1% while the rest of the energy supply is from diesel fired generators. The country’s dependency on imported fuel has so much negative implications on our socio-economic development.
Our high electricity tariff considered as the highest in the world provides unattractive business environment leading to high unemployment rate and high cost of living.
The DCGA Government strongly believes that energy is the key driver to the integral socio-economic development of the country so it is imperative to invest in sustainable renewable energy to deliver our economic development, climate commitments and significant transformation to our livelihood.
The new Roadmap provides the technical pathway and implementation framework to reach 100% renewable energy by 2030 and would involve a major reform in the energy sector to create enabling environment for participation of independent power producers (IPPs) to achieve the target.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Minister Bradley Tovosia are expected to launch the Roadmap report at the Kitano Mendana Hotel.
ENDS///