Page 25 - IB Nov 2017

Climate change Transition The evolving face of Fiji’s Strength How Fiji moved from power
independence: P27
of domination to freedom of people: P27
GCF pumps US$86m into alternative energy

Solomons

mitigation

by Priya Chand

WITH high vulnerability to climate change
impacts, Solomon Islands has placed equal
importance on mitigation and adapta-
tion to reach their Nationally Determined
Contributions.
The country has committed to reduce Drilling of Tina River. Photo: IRENA
emissions by 12 per cent below 2015 level SNAPSHOT
by 2025 and 30 per cent below 2015 level
by 2030 inevitably with a strong focus on Solomon Islands COP 23 priorities agenda.
the energy sector. - Clarity on the 2018 facilitative dialogue - Call for pre-2020 (second phase of the
Solomon Islands Acting Director Climate process Kyoto Protocol) action : Ratification of
Change Division, Hudson Kauhiona, said Acting Climate Change Director Hudson the Doha Amendment.
one of the major and biggest projects Kauhio said further clarity needed on “We are calling on parties who have not
under its belt was the Tina River Hydro -where we are now with aggregate emis- ratified the Doha Amendment to do so,
Project that “should displace two thirds sion levels and global emission projects as a pre-2020 action is vital to narrow
of all the diesel that is used for powering in achieving the 1.5 Degrees Celsius the emissions gap going into 2020. If
the whole of Honiara.” - Where do we need to get to collectively you want to wait for actions, then we
“We are working very closely with and by when may not reach the goals that we’ve set.
energy and power utility here to extract - How do we get there It needs to be signed so that when we
clean energy and further national efforts - How much money, capacity and tech- start kicking the Paris Agreement, it’s a
towards a greener and cleaner economy,” nology do we need to get us on the 1.5 continued action.
he said. Degree Celsius pathway - Getting a decision to have the adapta-
Tina River Hydro being the first large- - Push to have loss and damage on the tion fund available to serve the Paris
scale sustainable energy project in Solo- substantive bodies agenda Agreement (under discussion)
mon Islands has secured US$86 million “As Pacific island countries, we are prone “Some are saying the Green Climate
from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to sup- to extreme weather events that leads Fund could be spilt so it could take care
port the implementation of the renewable to loss and damage. We see it hasn’t of adaptation and mitigation, but for
energy project. Of the GCF funding, US$70 appeared on the agenda of the substan- us, we want a separate fund to serve the
million is a low-interest loan towards the tive bodies so we want it to appear in the Paris Agreement. We want it to be an
cost of building the hydro power facility.
Another US$16 million is grant contribu- invest in is the solar-diesel hybrid systems Solomon Island government figures
tion for the construction of the key access in large boarding schools. show that the country is close to fully de-
road that will link the power house and It is believed that this will drastically pendant on fossil fuels with 86.2 per cent
the hydropower facility to the capital city
Honiara. A further US$15 million commit- reduce the amount of diesel fuel usage for of power being generated by two stations
ment from the International Renewable electricity by 60 per cent can reduce cost in Honiara and 6.2 per cent at the facility in
the port city of Noro. The remainder of the
on fuel while increasing the availability
Energy Agency (IRENA) was secured by of fresh water to the school. This will be power was generated at smaller power sta-
the country earlier this year. done through the installation of 70 kilo tions in remote areas. Despite this 80 per
According to details laid out in the coun-
try’s NDC document, Solomon Islands has watt hybrid system. There are also around cent of Solomon Islands is without regular
considered mitigation actions that were 13 renewable projects in the pipeline that power, according to an Asian Development
would assist Solomon Islands meet its goal
report.Fuel imports make up 25 per cent
currently planned and funded (as the depending on the availability of funding of imports and 10 per cent of GDP which
Solomon Islands Contribution), and those and resources. has been pegged at US$1.281m
that have been identified as technically
viable with current technology suitable to These will add to a major solar power The country is developing and strength-
Solomon Islands’ context (as the contribu- harvesting farm built on flat land beside ening its baselines in monitoring systems
to capture all the mitigation actions so that
the Henderson Field International Airport
tion conditional on adequate and timely outside Honiara by SolPower. The site is the projects could be measured against the
international assistance.) linked to the main grid and is an attempt goals the country has set.
Another project the country is trying to
to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. r priyameyou@gmail.com
Islands Business, November 2017 25