27th April, 2018 Development partners, representative of the private sector and the business community, government officials and the media were given the assurance that the PCREEE is in more firmer grounds for it journey. The Manager of the PCREEE, Solomone Fifita, gave the assurance during the celebration of the First Year Anniversary of the PCREEE at Nuku’alofa yesterday (26 April).
“As with any new entity or organisation, the first job should be to ensure that the entity is institutionally and financially strong, said Fifita. We have established our links with our Thematic Hubs and National Focal Institutions and our steering committee is fully operational and effective. We have fully embraced the policies and procedures of the Pacific Community. Memorandum of Understandings regarding financial and technical support to the PCREEE over the next four years have been signed by SPC, UNIDO and Tonga and funding proposals worth more than 50 million Euro have been drafted and submitted to donors. The PCREEE has space and facilities that can accommodate future growth to a staff roll of 20.”
The PCREEE was established in response to calls by Pacific Island Countries and Territories for a specialised entity to drive the transition to renewable energy and energy efficient technologies by empowering the private sector and the business community to lead and to invest.
On the commemoration of its first year anniversary, the PCREEE further signed two strategic partnerships. The first was with the Association of Development and Financing Institutions in the Pacific or ADFIP. This MoU provides a formal framework for the PCREEE and ADFIP to jointly work in the areas of:
- A Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency business support facility
- Investments in sustainable energy
- Capacity building in sustainable energy business start-ups.
The second strategic partnership was with the sustainable Energy Industry Association of the Pacific Islands or SEIAPI. This MoU provides a formal framework for the PCREEE and SEIAPI to jointly work in the areas of:
- Capacity Building and Training
- Business and Investment Promotion
- Data and Information Exchange
- Resource Mobilisation
- Technical assistance and policy advice on low carbon and resilient development
The CEO of the Tonga Development Bank, Mrs Leta Havea Kami signed on behalf of ADFIP while the CEO of the Tonga Power Ltd, Mr Robert Mathews, signed on behalf of SEIAPI.
PCREEE is under the auspices of the Pacific Community (SPC) in collaboration with its sister regional organisations (PIFS, PPA, SPREP and USP).
ENDS
Issued by the: Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.