The new headquarter for the Tonga Meteorological Service and National Emergency Management Office (TMS/NEMO) will be constructed by Puloka Construction Ltd. under an agreement signed yesterday, between MEIDECC and the contractor.

The building comes under a Pacific Resilience Project, funded by the World Bank. The Prime Minister's Office said the headquarter will mark a significant milestone for the PREP Project after months of discussions, negotiations, delays and challenges. "It has been quite a journey, however, today’s achievement worth celebrating," it stated on the PM Press website.

The construction is expected to take sixteen months. The Design and Supervision Firm is Erasito Consultants Limited, a Fijian-owned Engineering Consultancy.

The contractor, Puloka Construction Ltd,  also built the two Emergency Operation Centres (EOCs) in Vava’u and Ha'apai. The EOC for Vava'u was commissioned on 17 March 2021 and Ha'apai on13 November 2020.

This contract signing is the third and last target number of EOCs to be constructed in Tonga under PREP. The establishment of the three EOCs are to support warning and emergency operations of the TMS and NEMO in Tongatapu and the outer islands.

The TMS/NEMO headquarter will be constructed at Matatoa along Taufa’ahau Road, south of the Utilities’ Office building.

“MEIDECC acknowledges the invaluable collaboration and contribution of the World Bank, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Land and Natural Resources, Ministry of Infrastructure, Central Service Unit (CSU), Consultants, and stakeholders, which has resulted in today’s signing ceremony,” they stated.