Tonga’s first solar farm named “Maama Mai” or “Let there be light” was opened this morning, July 24, by King Tupou VI, at the Popua Power Station and is expected to start operation in early August.
The solar farm funded with NZ$7.9 million from the New Zealand Government was dedicated at ‘Anana in the presence of Hon. Murray McCully, New Zealand’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade visiting Nuku’alofa to day with his 2012 Pacific Mission delegation.
The solar farm has the capacity to generate 1,880 megawatt hours of electricity a year, or about 4 percent of Tongatapu’s total electricity demand. It is expected to reduce Tonga’s annual diesel consumption by 470,000 litres and decrease carbon emissions by over 2,000 tonnes annually.
The Foreign Minister said they hoped for a warm welcome in Tonga, “but we had not expected that you would cancel your parliament for a day for this occasion. Thank you for the significant honour by putting aside the proceedings of parliament to attend,” he said.
He said every small Pacific economy was being suffocated by the cost of imported diesel and this sort of project would help meet that. So the New Zealand government during the Tonga Energy Road Map discussions, put its hand up to fund this first project.
“Our objective was that through this project to meet 12 percent of the daytime load for electricity and 4 percent of the total load. We wanted to see a significant reduction in carbon emissions, a drop in electricity prices and we are going to see that in the coming months but that is just the first installment,” he said.
Hon McCully said they were pleased to reach this important milestone and that it should not be a cause for complacency but rather a cause for ambition.
He said this was a significant step, “but there is a significant journey ahead to meet that 50 percent target of renewable energy. The New Zealand Government will be there with you, as your partner every step along the way,” he said.
Reduction
The Minister for Public Enterprises, Hon Clive Edwards, said that this was the largest solar farm in the Pacific funded by New Zealand and Tonga was grateful for the assistance, which would help to reduce the cost of electricity.
“From the start of the year to date, the cost of electricity was 92 seniti per kilowatt which reduced to 90 seniti on July 1. On August 1, when the facility starts operation, the cost will be further reduced to 85 seniti per kilowatt and that trend will continue,” he said.
The Minister said government in its commitment to bring down the cost of electricity, was also pursuing other avenues, including a solar farm planned for Vava’u, a wind farm in Tongatapu, and a biomass project from firewood in ‘Eua.
He said they also planned to construct a tank farm in Tongatapu, to reduce the cost of transporting fuel to Tonga. “This means that fuel in bulk can be brought directly to Tonga instead of coming through Fiji every three weeks, which costs us around $12 million a year,” he said.
New Zealand had also committed to fund a major upgrade of electricity distribution networks in villages in Tongatapu in order to provide a safe and reliable electricity supply and decrease line losses.
Wind
The solar farm constructed by Meridian Energy Ltd, a leading developer of renewable energy in New Zealand, who would continue to assist Tonga Power maintain the facility with asset management support and advice.
Mark Binns, Chief Executive of Meridian Energy said that Tonga Power was looking at delivering the first wind power farm in Tonga. “We hope to get involved in it and work towards achieving the target of 50 percent renewable energy,” he said.
Tonga Power would gain full legal ownership of the solar farm in 2017. The work on the solar farm began in November last year, after a groundbreaking ceremony.
