Honiara Sets Ambitious Goal for 100 Percent Renewable Energy by 2030

By Sharon Nanau 

Work is underway to have Honiara town one hundred percent connected to renewable energy by 2030.

Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification Permanent Secretary Dr. Christopher Vehe during the National Energy Summit said the roadmap for the ambitious target is outlined in the Renewable Energy Road Map for Honiara.

He said in efforts to reduce Solomon Islands high electricity costs the ministry has now ventured into the renewable energy sector as one of the avenues for energy sources for the country.

“We are looking to have 80 percent of the country’s urban population and 40 percent of the rural population connected to renewable energy by 2025. The renewable energy strategy policy and promoting efficient use of energy resources and increasing sector sustainability, establishing a regulatory environment is very important for the sector,” he said.

Dr. Vehe explains they are trying to increase the contribution of different energy sources such as solar, wind and hydropower.

“Under the Solomon Islands renewable energy project, we are trying to increase renewable energy share in the generation mix, this is a challenge for us while the technology changes we also need to change our perception as the market changes we want to make sure we have a proper energy mix in the country.”

He said currently with support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) they are piloting projects across the country aimed at developing proper renewable energy approaches and models.

“We want to make sure when we do a particular approach for a sector, we are careful we don’t assume that every other approach will be idle for every other sector, the sector needs can vary so it needs very robust planning and research,” he said.

Dr. Vehe assures its stakeholders that the transition in the energy sector will be carried out in a cautious manner as the country relies heavily on non-renewable energy sources.

SIBC News understands the Renewable Energy Road Map for Honiara is supported by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Solomon Power.

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