By Katalina Siasau

Tonga’s Prime Minister has urged the public to stop panic buying of fuel. Lord Fakafanua said today that Tonga’s fuel supply is expected to remain stable for the next two months and is currently rated at Green Level 1, under the government’s 5-level fuel security alert system. Going forward, limits will not be imposed unless the nation’s fuel supply tightens to Levels 2, 3 or 4.

Lord Fakafanua, alongside key stakeholders, including the CEO of Tonga Power Ltd, the Energy Commissioner, representatives from the Energy Department (MEIDECC) and other officials, addressed concerns about Tonga’s energy security, at a media briefing this morning, 19 March 2026,

The Prime Minister said long queues and panic buying are creating “artificial scarcity,” despite the country’s stable fuel supply.

“We can confirm that the fuel supply we have is stable from today and for the next two months,” he said.

He confirmed that two fuel shipments are scheduled for this month. The next vessel is expected to arrive on 24 March, followed by another on 31 March, supplying the two fuel companies, TotalEnergies and Pacific Energy.

The CEO of Tonga Power Ltd, Scott Westbury, said there is currently sufficient fuel to maintain electricity supply over the coming months. However, he warned that if the [global] situation escalates, difficult decisions may be required.

“There's a rank order of priorities of, obviously essential services at the top of the list, and then for the least important, we would try to minimize the disruption by what we call load shedding, where we basically turn people off for a period of time. That might be at night, or hopefully when it's at least disruptive to people and then turn the power back on again."

Fuel alert levels

In a worst-case scenario, fuel would be rationed and electricity supply could be restricted.

Lord Fakafanua explained that government operates a five-level fuel security system. Tonga is currently at alert Level 1:

• Level 1, Green, the supply is stable,
• Level 2, Yellow, the supply tightens, limits will be imposed on fuel purchases, excluding essential services such as hospitals, police, and telecommunications,
• Level 3, the supply is reduced to approximately 15 days,
• Level 4, a National emergency, police would be deployed to secure fuel supplies to ensure, “essential government and emergency services can continue operating”.

Lord Fakafanua said he had discussed the issue with the New Zealand Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon Christopher Luxon, during their bi-lateral meeting this week and he has a scheduled call with Fiji’s Prime Minister next week.

"The oil that we receive comes through Fiji, and so it's important for us to have that conversation to ensure that Tonga, our supply, continues in the new future,” he said.

From the Energy Department (MEIDECC), Lano Fonua emphasised the importance of the government taking steps to reassure the public and provide information clearly and regularly.

“I think Tonga has a very strong system for responding to disasters and, as the Prime Minister said, it is an unusual one, but the communication system within government has been set up, so we are leveraging that under the Disaster Risk Management Act,” he said.

Unsafe storage in homes

The Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner, Viliami Tu’ihalamaka, raised concerns about the unsafe storage of fuel in homes.

He reminded the public that up to 15 litres of fuel may be stored at a residence, up to 75 litres is allowed in storage facilities, and storing fuel in barrels requires a licence.

He warned that improper storage of diesel or kerosene poses serious safety risks and is illegal.

Renewable energy including wind and solar, currently contribute around 30% of Tonga’s total energy supply.

Globally, fuel supply concerns have been heightened by tensions affecting the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes, adding pressure to international energy markets.