A project that explores the possibility of using electric vehicles and vessels to transform the mode of transportation in Samoa is now underway.

In a media release issued on Thursday by the UNDP Multi-Country Office, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said the options are being explored under the umbrella of a project called "Climate Action Pathways for Island Transport (CAP-IT): Accelerating the Decarbonization of Samoa’s Land and Maritime Transport Sectors".

The project will help speed up the country's climate change mitigation efforts by transitioning the country’s land and maritime transport sectors away from its heavy reliance on fossil fuels and is funded by the government of Japan. It began this month, according to the UNDP media release, with a visit from renewable energy experts of the UN Information and Technology Management Department (ITM) in Copenhagen, Denmark. The ITM team is providing technical support related to electric vehicles (EV), EV charging infrastructure, and outboard motors. 

The ITM team has met with key local stakeholders from the Government of Samoa and the private sector to conduct Green Energy Preliminary Site Surveys (GEPSS) in locations that will be earmarked for electric vehicles and charging stations. They looked into the current EV fleet and charging infrastructure deployed by the Electric Power Corporation (EPC) and discussed connecting additional charging stations to the electricity grid. Interviews were done with vehicle service centres, importers, and dealerships to understand their readiness for importing and servicing EVs.

The team also visited the Samoa Recycling and Waste Management (SWRMA) facility to learn about the logistics of handling discarded batteries and electronic waste. Meetings were also conducted with owners of the country's small fishing fleet about entry points for battery charging or swapping, and to gather information on low-carbon maritime transport.

In the long term, the project will help Samoa keep in step with global developments in the transport sector and lead to other economic and environmental benefits such as better air quality, lower fuel costs, and a reduction in noise pollution.

The UNDP Officer-in-Charge, Verena Linneweber, said the transitioning of Samoa in its energy use has the potential to make it resilient amid fluctuating global oil prices. 

“Transitioning from petrol to EVs would decrease Samoa's reliance on imported fossil fuels, making the country more energy independent and resilient in the face of fluctuating oil prices," the UNDP Office-in-Charge said. "Moreover, the adoption of EVs would improve air quality on the island, leading to cleaner and healthier living conditions for both residents and tourists."

The CAP-IT project is part of the Japan-funded regional project, ‘Promoting Green Transformation in the Pacific Region towards Net-zero and Climate-Resilient Development’, that is also supporting Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu in achieving their green transformation ambitions for a more inclusive, climate-resilient future.

The USD$36.8 million regional project, of which US$15.5 million has been allocated for Samoa, is scheduled to be completed in March 2025. The project is implemented by UNDP in partnership with various local stakeholders. A maritime expert will visit in August to conduct a feasibility study for Samoa on low-carbon maritime transport.