The Government of Tonga is making strides towards reducing its reliance on imported fossil fuels and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions through the development of a more sustainable transportation system. In a collaborative effort, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) of the United States Department of Energy and the Tonga Department of Energy – Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC) recently conducted a three-day stakeholder meeting to discuss and support the advancement of electric mobility in Tonga.
Tonga heavily depends on imported petroleum-based fuels for its current energy needs, including transportation. However, these imports pose significant financial burdens, leave the country vulnerable to fluctuations in global oil prices, and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Recognizing the need for change, Tonga’s government is actively working to reduce fuel imports and shift towards a more sustainable and resilient transportation system.
The stakeholder meeting, held from June 12 to 14 at Davina House in Nuku’alofa, aimed to gain a deeper understanding of Tonga’s transportation system and gather feedback from key stakeholders on policy options to enhance transportation efficiency and promote electric vehicles (EVs) in the country.
The Acting Director of the Department of Energy, Ms ‘Emeline Laumanu, opened the meeting, emphasizing the importance of electric vehicles as the target technology for phasing out fossil fuels and reducing emissions in the transport sector. Representatives from various stakeholders, including the Department of Energy-MEIDECC, Land Transport of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Revenue and Customs, Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, Department of Climate Change-MEIDECC, Tonga Power Limited, Tonga Electricity Commission, Tonga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the private sector, actively participated in the discussions.
The meeting also had the privilege of hosting participants from the Pacific region, including Fiji, Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, who shared their experiences in electric mobility development. Mr. Andrew Campbell, a consultant from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) based in New Zealand, also contributed to the Tonga Stakeholder Meeting.
During the event, NREL presented global and regional trends in transportation efficiency and EVs, highlighted key policies and initiatives from select case studies, and provided an overview of the current state of transportation in Tonga, building upon the Tonga Energy Efficiency Master Plan (TEEMP) and Tonga Energy Road Map 2021-2035 (TERM Plus).
In her concluding remarks, Ms Laumanu expressed gratitude to NREL, the US Department of Energy, and all regional and local participants for their support. She emphasized that the stakeholder meeting was a significant step in the right direction, bringing together the right people to discuss the way forward and promote the development of electric mobility in Tonga.
With this stakeholder meeting, Tonga’s government and its partners are actively working towards a sustainable and resilient transportation system that will not only reduce the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuels but also contribute to mitigating climate change by curbing greenhouse gas emissions.