According to the Permanent Secretary for Works, Transport and Public Utilities Cama Tuiloma, this is because of the huge demand for electricity far exceeds what can be produced via renewable energy projects in place.
"For a small economy like Fiji, the effects of such consumption and expenditures can be devastating, and also means reduced budgets for critical social concerns such as infrastructure, education and health," he said while addressing delegates at a workshop in renewable energy held at the Hexagon International Hotel Villas and Spa in Nadi yesterday.
Mr Tuiloma said Fiji, along with small island developing states (SIDS) in the Pacific region, failed to recognise the impact of heavy dependence and vulnerability to worldwide price fluctuations on imported petroleum products.
"In the past decade, our petroleum imports have moved from around $400 million in 2004 to a little over $1.2 billion dollars in 2008. That equates to a quarter of our total imports, and the alarming fact is that our energy consumption had tripled in that period of four years. Fiji's imports stood at around 563 million litres of imported mineral fuels in 2009."
"Our dependence and vulnerability to worldwide price fluctuations on imported petroleum products is therefore of great concern to Government and we are developing and implementing our renewable energy policy and programs to reduce our dependence and import of petroleum fuels and to increase the renewable energy share in energy supply in the country," Mr Tuiloma said. More >>>
Location: Cayman Islands
