Samoa's dependency on imported fuels
Samoa, an independent island nation in the South Pacific, faces significant challenges due to its reliance on imported fuels for electricity generation. As of 2022, approximately 66.9% of Samoa's electricity came from fossil fuels, primarily diesel, while renewable sources contributed only about 12% of the total energy mix. The country's high rate of fuel importation is compounded by the absence of proven oil or natural gas reserves, making it susceptible to fluctuating global oil prices. To address this dependency, Samoa is actively pursuing the development of biofuels and alternative energy sources, including solar power and hydropower, which historically provided a larger share of its energy needs.
Efforts such as the Samoa National Energy Project aim to enhance the reliability and sustainability of electricity supply, while the Samoa Energy Sector Plan outlines strategies to increase renewable energy usage and reduce fossil fuel reliance by 2030. Additionally, pilot projects exploring the use of coconut oil for energy generation reflect Samoa's commitment to diversifying its energy portfolio. Despite the challenges posed by high development costs and infrastructure limitations, ongoing assessments of wind energy potential and investments in renewable technologies may help pave the way for a more sustainable energy future in Samoa.
Subject Terms
Samoa's dependency on imported fuels
Official Name: Independent State of Samoa.
Summary: Like many island nations, Samoa depends on imported fuels for its electricity, and the high cost of these imports has led it to seek the development of biofuels and other alternative energy sources.
The independent country of Samoa (not to be confused with American Samoa) is an island nation located among the western Samoan islands in the South Pacific. It comprises two main islands, Upolu and Savai’i. In 2003, Samoa consumed 101.4 gigawatt-hours of electricity, ranking it 167th among world nations. By 2022, Samoa was consuming more than 149 gigawatt-hours of electricity. Its installed electric generating capacity was 0.053 gigawatts. Two sources fed electricity production: fossil fuels and hydropower, the former 66.9 percent and the latter 20.6 percent in 2022. Refined petroleum consumption was 2,000 barrels per day in 2022. Nuclear power was not used at all, and solar power and other renewable energy sources provided only just over 12 percent of the electricity the country generated in 2022. Samoa had no proven reserves of oil or natural gas.
Biofuels and Solar Energy
Electric utilities are heavily dependent on imported diesel for power generation, and the high cost of imported fuel is a major reason that the Pacific Islands are seeking more development of biofuels. Environmental considerations are recognized but secondary.
For the most part, the use of solar energy grew consistently between 2014 and 2022, but solar power is still a minor contributor to the country’s developed energy resources. Hydropower generation provided Samoa with more than 29 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2022.
The Samoa National Energy Project was funded by the Samoan government, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Finland, and Australia. Its goals were to provide sustainable and affordable electricity by enhancing power capacity, reliability, and cost-effectiveness by investing in Samoa’s Electric Power Corporation (EPC) and enhancing operational efficiency and financial performance. Included was the establishment of a clean energy fund to finance the development of clean energy sources through revolving revenues. The project was to help with paperwork, upgrading laws for demand-side management and energy conservation, establishing a regulatory agency, and on-site accounting and analysis for better budgets, rate setting, and expenditure control. The project was begun in 2007 with a total budget of $1.85 million. Ten years later, in 2017, the Samoan government adopted the Samoa Energy Sector Plan, a five-year policy aimed at reducing the nation's dependency on fossil fuels and promoting the use of renewable energy sources, improving the generation and distribution of electricity, promoting energy efficacy in the transportation sector, improving the monitoring of petroleum products, and building institutional capacity.
Coconut Oil
Another pilot project, begun in 2005, was a feasibility study of the use of coconut oil to generate electricity. Tests used a blend of 90 percent diesel and 10 percent coconut oil. The Tanugamanono Power Station in 2009 successfully tested a blend of 5 percent coconut oil and 95 percent diesel. A 2008–09 test of coconut oil as a vehicle fuel was shelved, however, because of a shortage of coconut oil. Coconut oil is far from the main source of biofuel, but it should become more practical as the world supply of fossil fuels lessens and prices worsen.
The Pacific nations, including Samoa, are totally dependent on the developed nations of the West for resources such as technology and education. Renewable resource research hinges on better access to technology in the Pacific Islands so that islanders can research, develop, and manage their renewable capabilities. The Pacific Islands Greenhouse Gas Abatement Through Renewable Energy Project is the institutional expression of the commitment of the Pacific Leaders Forum at Niue to increased emphasis on renewable energy sources.
Future Goals
In 2006, Samoa set a target of 20 percent renewable energy by 2030. Also in 2006, at Apolima Island, a self-sufficient solar photovoltaic (PV) power system came online as part of the Samoa Photovoltaic Rural Electrification Programme. The system uses battery storage and a minigrid for distribution. Its capacity of 13 kilowatts gives island residents 24-hour power without greenhouse gas pollution. It is a cost-effective alternative to diesel, which has high delivery costs because of the islands’ remoteness. Moreover, the PV rural program has the goal of supporting 5 percent of the population with its stand-alone 24-hour systems. Preparatory surveys of needy households and other elements were completed in 2008, and minigrid sites were identified in three locations. In 2010, 25 families, two government ministries, and one nongovernmental organization received home solar sets donated by the China Electric Equipment Group after the 2009 tsunami. Families qualified for the systems if they were located more than 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) from the existing grid.
EPC established its renewable energy program in 2007 to develop and manage renewable resources such as hydropower, wind power, solar energy, and biomass energy. The company has been involved in hydropower for half a century, with Samoa’s first hydroelectric station coming on line at Alaoa in 1959. Small run-of-the-river hydropower stations have come online since then, at Fale-ole-Fee, Samasoni, Lalomauga, and Taelefaga, which is at the Afulilo reservoir and is Samoa’s largest, with a capacity of 4 megawatts. By the 1990s, hydropower provided 85 percent of Samoa’s electricity, but population and demand grew. The desire for air conditioning, television, and refrigeration has reduced the hydropower share to 50 percent, sometimes less. The power company and the government are working together to discover and develop new hydropower projects.
Implementing Renewables
The renewables most likely to be developed in the future are run-of-the-river hydropower, wind, and biofuels. Samoa has perhaps ten rivers with small hydropower capabilities. An assessment of the potential to harness wind energy continues at Upolu and Savai’i. Wind-monitoring masts are collecting data, and additional masts are planned. The major problem with implementing renewables is that the development costs are extremely high, although ongoing maintenance is relatively low. This is the reverse of the situation with diesel power: generators are cheap, but fuel is expensive. Other obstacles to implementing renewables are a lack of solid data about the potential of renewables, the difficulty of getting landowners to agree on the placement of infrastructure, and the high implementation costs for capital equipment.
Australia’s Origin Energy Samoa opened in January 1996 at Sogi, Apia. It offers bottled gas and appliances such as deep fryers, woks, cookers, and water heaters. A dealer network covers both of the main islands, Savai’i and Upolo. Biomass—including firewood, coconut shells, and coconut husks—is traditionally Samoa’s leading cooking fuel.
Bibliography
“Oceania, Samoa, Energy.” Nationmaster.com, 2013, www.nationmaster.com/country/ws-samoa/ene-energy. Accessed 6 Aug. 2024.
“Samoa.” CIA World Factbook, 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/samoa. Accessed 6 Aug. 2024.
“Samoa.” US Energy Information Administration, 2024, www.eia.gov/international/overview/country/WSM. Accessed 6 Aug. 2024.