Unfortunate and unplanned. That can be said about the current situation of the electricity supply in Upolu as many residents are literally in the dark. Thousands were impacted by generators at Fiaga going offline.

The situation led to the Electric Power Corporation rationing power to parts of Upolu to keep up with the high power demand. This begs the question of the foresight of the government and the power company to estimate the increase in power supply and get the infrastructure ready to meet that demand.

As the population increases, so does economic activity and naturally there is an increase in the electricity demand. The generators at Fiaga, which happens to be supplying most of the electricity are overworked. Power rationing is the most appropriate thing to do now to ensure that everyone has access to power at some point during the day, as none of the other substations or generators can supply the demand.

The four new diesel generators bought at $10.2 million can only supply two megawatts (MW) each of electricity. Two generators are in Savaii and two remain at the Fuluasou substation. The Fiaga station when fully operational with its combination of diesel, hydro and solar generators produces 32MW of electricity. The daily demand on Upolu is 30MW leaving two MW as reserve power.

This means that every time there is an issue at Fiaga, the entire nation will be affected. The new generators were merely bought as backup targeting key areas that hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. For this purpose only, $10 million was used.

It would have been better if this money could have been used to upgrade the current power grid and infrastructure. This needs to be done, if we are to have a ‘reliable’ electricity supply.

The current outage did not happen all of a sudden. The days leading up to Monday when EPC said a generator was offline were preceded by power outages in different areas, sometimes twice or three times a day.

It is not only this outage that is of concern. The power supply fluctuates more than it should because of ageing transformers and other parts. The power surges have damaged electrical equipment and appliances in some homes and also in businesses.

The health ministry previously blamed the surges for damages to its main X-ray machine at the big hospital. EPC had said at the time, that power surges are common occurrences.

Electricity is a cornerstone of modern society. It powers nearly every aspect of our lives, from households and businesses to industries and government services. Therefore, a robust and reliable electricity supply is critical for development and prosperity.

A reliable electricity supply is a critical driver of economic growth and development. It powers industries and businesses, enabling them to manufacture goods, provide services, and carry out transactions.

A good electricity supply is essential for economic growth, quality of life, health, safety, education, research, environmental sustainability, and technological advancement. Ensuring a reliable electricity supply should therefore be a priority.

The government has been bold to say that by 2031, 70 per cent of the nation’s electricity will be from renewable sources. Everyone is looking forward to that as this could be the answer to a reliable energy source. But there is more investment needed to improve this vital infrastructure.

On Tuesday, the EPC put out maps showing a range of issues affecting different areas including faulty transformers and problems with high-voltage and low-voltage demands. The grid needs to be better. Power poles and lines need upgrading as well, if we are looking at a reliable power supply. There needs to be a plan for the future and not just today and tomorrow.

Minister for Works, Transport and Infrastructure Olo Fiti Vaai is on record as saying EPC has a lot of money. We hope that the ‘lot of money’ will be used to advance the electricity infrastructure and the EPC.

We salute the hard-working technicians and engineers who undoubtedly, have been working overtime to fix the fault at Fiaga. Their sacrifice in getting an uninterrupted power supply to the nation is noted. One down and one more generator to go.

Proper planning and timely investment are the only solutions to the nation’s electricity woes, not power rationing.