Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataʻafa has addressed the nation regarding the ongoing electricity outages, pointing to multiple failures within the Electric Power Corporation (EPC) system since February 2025.
In her statement, the Prime Minister said the outages have affected homes, businesses, and villages across Upolu. She confirmed that EPC is working to restore reliable power as soon as possible.
A major fault in the underground cable between Fiaga and Fuluasou caused a total blackout across Upolu on 23 February. A second failure in another section of the same cable occurred two days later, requiring further repairs. On 9 March, a severe storm damaged power lines and poles, resulting in widespread outages.
Further disruption came on 15 March when three key generators failed. The Fiaga No.1 diesel engine, which produces 5 megawatts, suffered a piston failure. Repairs are expected to take 10 to 12 months due to a shortage of parts. The Tanugamanono No.7 diesel engine, with a capacity of 3 megawatts, requires four weeks of repair work to fix a turbocharger issue. The Taelefaga No.1 hydro plant, responsible for 2 megawatts, has a bearing fault and will need three months of work.
With 10 megawatts of generation lost, EPC began a power rationing schedule on 16 March to manage supply.
To ease the shortage, five rental generators with a combined output of 5 megawatts are scheduled to arrive by 5 April. The government is also finalising the purchase of two new diesel generators from HNAC in China, expected in August. Repairs to the Tanugamanono and Taelefaga generators are in progress. A solar farm with battery storage, due to launch in December, will increase energy capacity by 20 percent.
The Prime Minister said electricity demand has grown considerably over the past two years. She said the government and EPC are taking steps to improve and expand power generation to meet the country’s needs.
