Sustainable energy development in the pacific: The evolution of energy frameworks and national policies

Abstract

Over the past decades, the region has been actively engaged in finding ways in which these challenges could be addressed, and solutions that would reduce the region’s reliance on imported fuels. The earliest thinking relied heavily on the possible use of renewable energy to substitute for fossil fuels. Over the years however, there has been a gradual evolution of thought, with the consequence that recent energy strategies, at both the national and regional levels, have realised the limitations of this one-pronged approach. It has been realised that some energy use sectors will continue to depend on fossil fuels for a long time. The importance of energy efficiency and effective energy policies and plans is also acknowledged. Another important development has been the use of the whole-of-sector approach to the solution of energy problems. This paper traces the development in energy policies that have taken place in the Pacific over the last decade, and critically assesses the key elements of new thinking in energy planning for the region. After deliberating the need for energy policies in general, it examines the features of the Pacific Island Energy Policy and Plan (PIEPP), and discusses the possible reasons why it was unable to deliver its expected outcomes. The importance of the whole-of-sector approach, as well as other considerations that are now thought to be essential tools for energy planning and implementation in the Pacific region, is discussed. The present status of the development of a regional energy strategy, as embodied in the Framework for Action on Energy Security in the Pacific (FAESP), is then outlined.