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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">From:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-language:EN-GB"> press-releases-bounces@lists.spc.int [mailto:press-releases-bounces@lists.spc.int]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>SPC Media<br>
<b>Sent:</b> 27 October 2017 13:20<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [SPC-News] Media Release: Private sector investment is the way to go<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="http://www.spc.int/crga/signature/spc-logo-70years.png">http://www.spc.int/crga/signature/spc-logo-70years.png</a>" style='position:absolute;margin-left:674.5pt;margin-top:29.25pt;width:193.25pt;height:60pt;z-index:251662336;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square;mso-width-percent:0;mso-height-percent:0;mso-wrap-distance-left:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:margin;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:text;mso-width-percent:0;mso-height-percent:0;mso-width-relative:page;mso-height-relative:page'>
<img border="0" width="118" height="111" id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image004.jpg@01D34F26.4422A8B0" alt="images"><img border="0" width="305" height="97" id="_x0000_i1026" src="cid:image005.jpg@01D34F26.4422A8B0" alt="PCREEE-logo-3e_only"><img border="0" width="258" height="80" id="_x0000_i1027" src="cid:image006.png@01D34F26.4422A8B0" alt="http://www.spc.int/crga/signature/spc-logo-70years.png"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:18.0pt">MEDIA RELEASE</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Default" align="center" style="margin-right:33.95pt;text-align:center">
<b><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-size:16.0pt">Private sector investment is the way to go</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU">27 October 2017<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span lang="EN-AU"> </span></b><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span lang="EN-AU">Suva, Fiji</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"> – Following five earlier grant aid-funded solar farms, the Kingdom of Tonga finally commissioned its first large scale independent power producer
facility on Thursday 19 October 2017 – <i>Matatoa Solar Farm</i>. The 2 megawatt grid-connected solar farm is the first and obviously the largest in the Kingdom to date.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU">The Nuku’alofa-based Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE) has acknowledged and congratulated Tonga for the right path it has taken and the model it is providing
for the Pacific Islands.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU">“The national renewable energy targets of the Pacific Islands cannot be achieved in a sustainable manner through grant aids alone. We need to empower the private sector to be the driver of the
renewable energy movement in the Pacific Islands,” said Solomone Fifita, Manager of PCREEE.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU">Quite number of Pacific Island countries are currently reviewing and drafting legislations that will enable the private sector to generate electricity, a monopolistic role that has traditionally
been reserved for the government-owned power utilities. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU">For the PCREEE and the Energy Programme of the Pacific Community (SPC), technical assistance is currently being provided to Niue, Palau, Tonga and Tuvalu.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU">The commercial confidence of the private sector is paramount and herein lies the crucial role of regulators (Electricity Commission in Tonga). Power purchase agreements that would run for 20
to 30 years need the regulators to ensure there is fairness on both parties and the interests of the consumers are protected at all times.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU">PCREEE will continue with the Pacific Community’s targeted capacity building assistance to the energy regulators in the region and is currently working on establishing a Pacific Energy Regulators
Alliance, a direction from the region’s Energy Ministers, to facilitate sharing of best practices on the engagement with independent power producers and other roles of the regulators.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU">Among the coming priority activities of the PCREEE would be the convening of national renewable energy investment forums where bankable renewable energy projects can be presented to independent
power producers and potential investors, development partners and local and multilateral financial institutions and funds and where government can present the enabling environment it has created for private sector investments.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU">PCREEE was established through a direction by the Pacific Islands Energy Ministers to support island member countries of the Pacific Community to improve access to modern, affordable and reliable
energy services and energy security by promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency investments, markets and industries and to act as a facilitator for innovative partnerships with the private sector.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU">PCREEE is co-hosted by SPC and the Tonga Government at Nuku’alofa, Tonga and is a collaboration between SPC, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, SIDS Dock, the Government of
Tonga and the Government of Austria.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span lang="EN-AU"> </span></b><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span lang="EN-AU"> </span></b><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span lang="EN-AU">Media contact:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU">Atishma Lal, SPC Project Information Assistant,
<a href="mailto:atishmal@spc.int">atishmal@spc.int</a> or +679 3379402 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span lang="EN-US">PCREEE contact:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US">Solomone Fifita, Manager, PCREEE, Corner of Taufa’ahau and Wellington Roads, Nuku’alofa</span><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US">Phone +676 25209,
<a href="mailto:solomonef@spc.int">solomonef@spc.int</a></span><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt">Useful links:</span></b><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http://www.pcreee.org/&c=E,1,ErdxRK9LaKa40FUb0uepVE15ZXChI_89t1E64stkq6yhLcGc4Ox3w0IB2X5yP4Qiq6D1ww7idMCK2QtVDaUTO5U96mxQpYUX0yRoER0USK9Da1tg&typo=1">http://www.pcreee.org/</a><span style="color:#1F497D">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http://www.ccreee.org/&c=E,1,ZFw8EDncmSATQQuxDKVt3daeBh2F-isw_5zCKIES8qN3f4FjgASWzQcUuPdLgjyuc3-IVUuVtgBL0z052DF65jWduFHwzzV1-zDPeA,,&typo=1">http://www.ccreee.org/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http://www.se4allnetwork.org/&c=E,1,7DC-gaqH-yOGqEtqKwRU2O72QriXNNfwMPiZPmeeSc9imZK95YlgtWcz2sleipLjSmv9kP_qEN-ub5MLX4gXgNNP3RkPDuPIvvOtcCJd2XoqxITjLmqf5cM9&typo=1">http://www.se4allnetwork.org/</a><span style="color:#1F497D">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU"><a href="https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http://www.spc.int/edd&c=E,1,bs448Mpe2KzuxwWZKhlAn0g4VGOP0QuYub0QsbsqOOYOkFr0YYtfovTnTGlVGQYt2OnpHw2pGrdeyNadQ9Rx5rTqwO-7KqEo5ZBbR_D1WHAwJMKI&typo=1">www.spc.int/edd</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-AU"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><i><span lang="EN-AU">Photo caption: His Majesty Tupou VI inspecting the Matatoa Solar Farm in Tonga</span></i><span lang="EN-AU"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-AU"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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