Nikhil Aiyush Kumar 
[Photo: Fiji Government/FACEBOOK PAGE]
Minister for Environment Lynda Tabuya has warned that Fiji’s heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels exposes the economy and households to global energy price shocks.
Speaking at the Australia Pavilion during COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, Tabuya says the country must accelerate its transition to renewable energy to strengthen energy security and ease the financial burden on Fijians.
Fiji’s reliance on imported fuel is both an environmental concern and an economic vulnerability.
The Minister says fluctuations in international fuel prices immediately impact transport, electricity generation, food security, and the cost of living.
“The current oil and gas supply crisis, the second in four years, has reinforced a very important lesson. Our dependence on imported fossil fuel leaves us very vulnerable to external shocks that we neither create nor do we control.”
Tabuya says reducing this dependence requires greater investment in renewable electricity, including solar power, energy storage, and resilient infrastructure.
“The challenge to us is no longer whether electrification is possible, but whether we can mobilize finance and partnerships at the speed and scale required.”
For Fiji, the challenge is turning ambition into practical investments that reduce reliance on imported fuel and strengthen long-term economic security.
