More than 75,000 people in remote parts of Fiji and Papua New Guinea will gain access to clean, reliable electricity through three new REnew Pacific projects, announced today by Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, the Hon Chris Bowen MP, at Pre-COP31 in Fiji.
The projects include:
Scaling a sustainable solar model for Fiji’s remote schools
It’s Time Foundation, in partnership with Fiji’s Ministry of Education, will install solar systems with battery storage at 13 remote schools and teachers’ homes across Vanua Levu, Viti Levu, Taveuni and the Yasawa Islands. Each school will also receive Starlink internet, laptops and smart TVs, benefiting more than 1,200 students. The project builds on It’s Time Foundation’s first REnew Pacific project, bringing solar power to more than 30 remote schools, and a 2024 pilot at Buakonikai Primary School on Rabi Island. Find out more
Pay-as-you-go solar bringing energy, learning and livelihoods to Papua New Guinea’s Oro Province
Sola PayGo and MiBank will bring pay-as-you-go solar home systems, streetlights and education servers to around 55,000 people in 19 communities between Popondetta and the Kokoda Track, alongside training in technical, financial and digital literacy. Find out more
Brighter classrooms and safer schools through solar energy in Bougainville
Save the Children and the Autonomous Bougainville Government’s Department of Education will install solar and battery systems at five remote schools in Tinputz, while a school-managed solar lantern scheme will bring safer lighting to up to 2,000 nearby homes, reaching more than 11,400 people. Find out more
The projects were announced at a special Pre-COP31 event, Powering the Pacific: Electrification for Climate Resilience, Energy Security and Development, which brought together Pacific and Australian leaders, communities and experts to explore how renewable energy can strengthen energy security, expand energy access and support development across the region.
Opened by Tina Stege, COP31 Regional Envoy for Oceania and Climate Envoy for the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the session featured insights on the Pacific energy transition from Professor Iain Macgill of the University of New South Wales and Dr Ravita Prasad of Fiji National University. REnew Pacific Team Leader Mohammed Angawi introduced the program before Rob Edwards OAM of It’s Time Foundation and Ulamila (Mila) Lagivalu, Head of School at Namara Village School, shared how solar power is transforming learning in remote Fijian schools. Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change, the Hon Ralph Regenvanu, closed the session with a Pacific leadership perspective.
Today’s announcement brings REnew Pacific’s portfolio to 13 locally led projects across seven countries: Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. In less than two years, REnew Pacific now reaches more than 255,000 people with projects powering more than 8,100 homes, 98 schools and 49 health centres. REnew Pacific builds on the Australian Government’s Off-Grid Renewable Energy Partnerships pilots, launched in 2024 across Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu. Together, that’s 26 projects, with 15 already complete, reaching more than 428,000 people across 215 schools, health centres and communities.
Check out photos from the event below.
