2026 is set to see a major leap forward with several key activities under the Na Vualiku Project advancing, with upcoming milestones in MSME and Community-Based Tourism support program, solar powerfor public buildings, solid waste management, airport planning, and tourism infrastructure design across Vanua Levu and Taveuni.
During severe weather events, demand for medical care can rise at the very moment power systems, roads, supply chains, and emergency services are under the greatest pressure.Β Fiji has already seen how devastating the consequences can be when severe weather, health emergencies, and power disruptions collide.Β
Reliable Power for Essential Services
Reliable power is not just about keeping the lights on. In a hospital, reliable electricity can determine whether care continues safely and without interruption.
In a hospital, electricity helps keep essential care running, including nebulizers and oxygen machines that support patients with breathing difficulties, defibrillators that save lives during a cardiac arrest, the beeping monitors that help health workers track a patientβs condition, vaccine fridges, and medical testing equipment. It also supports communication systems used to coordinate emergency response, and patient care.
Solar power does not only help reduce electricity costs over time. It also strengthens energy resilience for such essential services. And, such reliability can make the difference between life and death.
The Fiji Tourism Development Program in Vanua Levu (Na Vualiku Project) is undertaking a feasibility study to assess how solar power can help reduce electricity costs, increase the use of clean energy, and support better public services in Labasa and Savusavu.
Savusavu Hospital has been included as one of the sites under assessment.
Image: Savusavu Hospital
Assessing Solar Power at Savusavu Hospital
This is particularly important for a key sub-divisional health facility that forms part of the wider public healthcare network in the Northern Division. In this context, reliable electricity is not only important for one facility. It supports continuity across a wider system of care.
Savusavu Hospital already relies on dedicated backup power arrangements during outages. The feasibility study is looking at whether solar PV can complement existing systems and provide additional resilience, while also considering the hospitalβs building structures, electrical systems, future power needs, safety requirements, and long-term maintenance arrangements.
Why Rooftop Solar Is Being Considered
The current assessment is focused on rooftop solar because available land within the hospital site is limited and may be needed for future health service needs. Rooftop installation also offers a practical, lower-impact option for a working hospital environment.
The feasibility study is reviewing roof areas that are more suitable for assessment, including the central building with a newer roof and the main building above the Emergency Department, where roof upgrading is already underway.
Image: Google image of the Savusavu Hospital
Supporting Future Health Needs
The study will also consider practical needs such as vaccine refrigeration, emergency services, and the hospitalβs future energy demand as services and equipment expand. If solar PV is installed, hospital electricians and relevant technical staff would be upskilled to support system monitoring and maintenance.
If the site meets the required technical, structural, financial, environmental, and social criteria, the next phase would move into detailed design, supply, and installation.
A Wider Shift Toward Resilient Energy
For patients sitting in a waiting room, for health workers responding to urgent needs, and for families depending on care during difficult moments, energy resilience is not an abstract issue. It is part of what allows a hospital to function when people need it most.
Fijiβs health sector is already moving toward cleaner and more resilient energy solutions, particularly for rural and maritime facilities.
This is part of the countryβs broader commitment to increase renewable energy use, reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels, and strengthen climate resilience across essential public services. Fiji’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Implementation Roadmap 2017β2030 targets close to 100 percent renewable energy power generation by 2030.
Recent solar installations at facilities such as Lomaloma Sub-Divisional Hospital in Vanuabalavu show how solar power can support 24/7 electricity, oxygen concentrators, refrigeration, and emergency care.Β
The assessment at Savusavu Hospital builds on this wider national shift by examining whether rooftop solar PV can safely and practically strengthen energy resilience at one of the Northern Divisionβs key sub-divisional health facilities.
Through this work, the Na Vualiku Project is supporting practical steps toward cleaner energy, lower operating costs, and more resilient public infrastructure and essential services in Vanua Levu.
βοΈEnergy costs are on everyoneβs mind nowadays given the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East and current global energy crisis . While the #NaVualikuProjectβs feasibility study on rooftop solar across municipal buildings in Labasa and Savusavu was already underway, it is now more relevant than ever.
π€ Over two days of consultations in Labasa and Savusavu, this work moved from technical analysis to real conversations. Consultants from Elemental Group LtdΒ met with market vendors, tenantsΒ of municipal buildings, and Town Councils, ensuring the feasibility study is shaped not just by data, but by how these spaces are usedΒ by ordinary peopleΒ every day.
π₯ With our stakeholders, market vendors and tenants, the discussions quickly turned practical. In Labasa, conversations focused on space, how equipment might fit within already busy market areas, and what that means for daily operations. Vendors also explored what solarΒ energyΒ could enable, from powering sewing machines in the handicraft market to supporting refrigeration and lighting during outages. At the same time, there was a clear understanding that benefits would be shared, improving services across the facility rather than providing individual access.
π₯ In Savusavu, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Vendors recognised the value of reducing energy costs for the Town Council and what that could mean for the wider community. There was strong interest and enthusiasm, particularly in knowing that the infrastructure would be financed through the Project, removing the need for fundraising while still delivering tangible improvements. Conversations also touched on resilience, and the importance of planning infrastructure that can support communities during disruptions and disasters.
ποΈ Alongside these discussions, Town Councils, asΒ eventualΒ asset owners, focused on the longer-term picture. How will these systems be managed? What willΒ operations andΒ maintenance require? And,Β most importantly, how can savings be redirected to improve services? In Labasa, high energy costs, particularly from floodlighting at Subrail Park, stood out as a clear opportunity where solar could make a difference. The need to align with other infrastructure projects and plan for growing demand also came through strongly.
βοΈ At its core, the feasibility study is testing what is possible. It is assessing selected municipal sites across Labasa and Savusavu, examining technical suitability, energy demand, system design, and long-term financial viability. The aim is simple: to ensure that any future investment is practical, sustainable, and delivers real value.
π± If deemed suitable, rooftop solar systems could be installed from late 2026. But the outcome is bigger than infrastructure. It is about turning savings into services, strengthening public facilities, and ensuring municipal buildings work harder for the communities they serve.
Explore the latest updates from the Na Vualiku Project, highlighting progress in air connectivity, infrastructure, and community-focused tourism development across Vanua Levu & Taveuni.
The study responds to ongoing challenges in the North, including where municipal councils face high energy costs to power public infrastructure such as markets, bus stands, and parks, vulnerability to supply disruptions due to reliance on diesel-based electricity generation and exposure to climate related hazards.
Elemental Power and Renewables, a consulting group based in New Zealand, which has been engaged to carry out the feasibility study, is in Vanua Levu already assessing whether solar photovoltaic (PV) systems can be installed safely and effectively at selected sites.
The team began its first on-the-ground stakeholder meetings in Suva with key organisations including Energy Fiji Limited (EFL), the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC), and the Department of Environment. These discussions support early alignment on technical requirements, regulatory considerations, and safe grid integration options.
The feasibility study will provide the technical and financial information needed to guide next steps for solar PV installations in Labasa and Savusavu.
When public buildings and facilities pay high power bills, it reduces the resources available for other essential services. Solar power can help lower operating costs over time, which may allow facilities to reinvest in improvements that benefit the public.
This feasibility study also supports Fijiβs shift toward cleaner, more sustainable energy. That means less reliance on traditional energy sources and more long-term resilience for public infrastructure, especially as communities face rising costs and changing climate conditions.
In Vanua Levu, the team is carrying out technical site inspections and collecting detailed data on power use as well as weather patterns. The team will also be considering the structural integrity of the structures to accommodate solar panels. The feasibility study will investigate and identify possible options for solar PV installation for Savusavu and Labasa Municipality areas.
The study will also include environmental and social risk screening, financial and economic analysis, and the preparation of procurement-ready documents to support the next steps. Stakeholder engagement and capacity building will form a critical part of the assignment.
The Na Vualiku Project is a government-led initiative designed to unlock the sustainable tourism potential of Vanua Levu and Taveuni. The Project is funded through a loan from the World Bank and is implemented by the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation as the lead agency, in collaboration with Fiji Airports and Fiji Roads Authority.
