$20m green energy project for Ovalau
THE island of Ovalau has great historical significance for Fiji as the island of many first and the FJ$20 million Fiji Agro-photovoltaic’ Project can be added to this list.
The vanua of Bureta Village that sits next to the site of the project has expressed its excitement and eagerness to be part of the project that will bring “green energy” on the island.
Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who visited the site called Lomaibureta with a delegation, said the project is a culmination of the work that has been done by the Government in the international arena and at home.
“This is a first for Fiji so again you are part of the first where we are going to have solar panels put up across the land but beneath that we will be able to use it for agricultural purposes. This is new technology and this is also better utilization of land,” he told the villagers of Bureta.
Fiji, for the first time, has been able to access funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) that provided funds to the tune of US$5m (FJ$10m) through the Fiji Development Bank (FDB) that has itself contributed FJ$1m while the Korean Government’s aid agency Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has given a grant of US$4m (FJ$8.4m).
Bureta Development Committee secretary, Sereana Qoro, speaking on behalf of the villagers, said the seven hectares of land that has been designated as the site for the project sits on freehold land and is registered under a Trustee.
“We the people of Bureta are happy and excited about the project- for the green energy it will generate for Ovalau and we are much more excited about the agricultural aspect of the project,” Ms Qoro said.
“We understand that the project will introduce climate smart agricultural technique and our people are looking forward to learning more about it.”
Once operational the APV project is expected to meet 50 per cent of the energy needs of the island.
The A-G was accompanied by the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Community Development, Premila Kumar, and a delegation of the diplomatic corp.
The diplomatic corp. consisted of the Head of Pacific Delegation for the European Union, Sujiro Seam, the Ambassador of the United States to Fiji, Joseph Cella, British High Commissioner to Fiji, Christopher George Edgar, New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji, Jonathan Curr, the Deputy High Commissioner of Australia to Fiji, Anna Dorney, the First Secretary for Development Cooperation for the Embassy of Japan and the KOICA director Jinhee Kim.