Fiji Electricity Authority

The Fiji Electricity Authority was established as a statutory body in 1966. This was after the Suva City Council introduced Fiji's first public electricity supply with a 65 KW generator which was driven by gas. Then there were some privately owned power supplies in Levuka, Nadi, Sigatoka and Labasa. As the pace of economic growth accelerated power... supplies became a priority and therefore a unified approach was the most efficient approach. In 1966, FEA was tasked to generate and distribute electricity to the people of Fiji at the lowest possible cost, with a view of the overall development of the country. Its core function is to generate, transmit, transform, distribute and sell energy either in bulk or to individual customers in any part of Fiji. All independent electricity suppliers were brought under the FEA's wing. Five years after its establishment (1971) plans for a 10 MW (megawatt) diesel generating station at Vuda was announced. Demand for power increased by 30 percent annually those days. Vuda was the most ambitious project undertaken by FEA. By 1978, the Suva City Council's electricity department, which was the biggest and oldest, was acquired by FEA. After initially serving fewer than 2500 customers, by the end of 2005, FEA was supplying electricity to more than 130,000 customers. Now, there is about 5 percent growth in demand for electricity supply. Projections predicted a doubling in demand during the 1970s. Fossil fuel prices were escalating and hydro electricity was a feasible alternative to diesel power stations. In 1972 ENEX of New Zealand prepared a detailed report, four years later the FEA commissioned Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners to prepare a 25 year power programme. The Monasavu hydro electric scheme was a dominant feature. The Monasavu cost was met through international and local funding and Government grants. The project is a dramatic testimony to a determination to increase Fiji's self sufficiency in the critical area of the economy. From Monasavu two 132 kV (kilo volts) transmission ...Read More