Australia supports Niue efforts to meet renewable energy targets by 2025; currently generating 40 percent renewable energy

The Director General of the Ministry of Infrastructure Andre Siohane told the gathering at the blessing ceremony of the new power facility that Niue is progressing well with its renewable energy targets.

Siohane said that the ten-year Niue Energy Strategic Roadmap set the target of 80 per cent renewable energy by 2025 and this year 2020, they have reached half that target now generating 40 per cent renewable energy. The other two key goals of the roadmap are looking at energy efficiency and reliable energy.

The new power facility to supplement the existing station is to be built at Tuila and is funded by Australia as part of their broader efforts to reduce climate change and limit greenhouse gas emissions.

The Australian high commissioner told the Niue government that Australia is “delighted to have this opportunity to support this project which will allow Niue to deliver more reliable and more efficient electricity through stabilising the national grid and to optimise the use of existing solar generation capacity”.

High Commissioner Susan Allen acknowledged that Niue is doing better than her country in terms of the use of renewable energy. “I’m very conscious that Australia’s commitment to this goal may not have been completely apparent in recent years but I’m very happy to say that things are changing.

Like Niue we’re looking to renewables as key to facilitate a switch to low emissions electricity generation. This year renewables are expected to contribute twenty seven per cent of Australia’s electricity and one in four Australian households currently have solar panels on their roofs. We might be still behind Niue on our reliance on solar but its our objective and we’re getting there”.

So, we’re delighted to have this opportunity to support this project which will allow Niue to deliver more reliable and more efficient electricity through stabilising the national grid and to optimise the use of existing solar generation capacity”.

The next day the Australian high commissioner attended an official handover of more than 500 rubbish bins which will be distributed to every household in Niue, part of the Niue waste management project also funded by Australia.