Japan completes solar electrification project in outer islands [1]
Tuesday, July 11, 2017 - 17:19. Updated on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 - 19:27.
The completion of a Solar Electrification project in Vava’u and Ha’apai, was celebrated on Monday with a ground-breaking ceremony in the village of Koloa in Vava’u. The project was spearheaded by the Pacific Environment Community (PEC), a Japanese state funded organization directed towards helping Pacific Islands.
The project has seen the installation of solar powered water pumps and deep freezers in remote communities in Ha’apai and Vava’u. The project’s aim is to establish the use of renewable energy powered facilities in remote communities.
Guests of honour to open the ground-breaking ceremony were Prime Minister Hon. Samuela ‘Akilisi Pohiva and the Japanese Ambassador to Tonga H.E Mr. Yukio Numata. Numerous other guests of honour were also present including the Governor of Ha’apai, Hon. Mo’ale Finau and the Governor of Vava’u, Lord Fulivai.
Ambassador Yukio Numata congratulated the people of Vava’u and Ha’apai in his ceremonial speech. He stated “Japan generated the fund through the PIFS with a range of initiatives to deepen relations through our join effort to pursue developments that will lead to a resilient, sustainable and prosperous Pacific.”
The Ambassador encouraged self-sufficiency and credited the project’s joint venture with technical experts from three Japanese companies (Shinyo Koeki Co. Ltd, Stella Environment and Mitsubishi Electric) in association with the Pacific International and Kingdom Energy.
Ambassador Numata stated “It is my greatest pleasure to see Japan-made technologies being utilized at the grass-root level of Tongan communities to promote the exchange of knowledge and skills,
“Let us continue to reinforce the commitments that we have made, whereby one of the critical goals of the PALM summit is the encouragement of business development to achieve higher levels of self-sufficiency,”