[Photo: FILE]
Unplanned electricity outages rose in 2025 even as restoration times improved.
This, according to Energy Fiji Limited’s data.
Minister for Public Enterprises, Multi-Ethnic Affairs, Culture, Heritage and Arts Charan Jeath Singh told Parliament that EFL recorded 1,656 unplanned outages in 2024, increasing to 1,829 last year.
He said the figures reflect ongoing pressure on the national grid.
Despite the rise in outages, response times improved slightly. The average outage duration fell from 317.74 minutes in 2024 to 306.71 minutes in 2025, indicating faster restoration of supply.
Singh said the trend points to a system under strain, with ageing infrastructure and rising demand continuing to affect reliability.
At the same time, EFL has outlined a $522.66 million capital program for the 2025–2026 financial year to strengthen grid performance and expand capacity.
The programme allocates $363.57 million to special projects, $57.45 million to system planning and control, $44.66 million to network works and $35.72 million to generation.
Major works include substation upgrades, transmission reinforcement, hydro refurbishment and new generation projects aimed at improving supply stability.
Singh said $25.63 million has been spent so far, with most projects still in progress as efforts continue to modernise Fiji’s power system.
