PALIKIR, Pohnpei—On June 29 , 2021, His Excellency David W. Panuelo—President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)—launched the $14,200,000 FSM Sustainable Energy Project. Funded by the European Union and implemented by the FSM National and State Governments, with deeply appreciated technical assistance from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the FSM Sustainable Energy Project’s objective is to enable the Nation’s population to utilize affordable, reliable, and environmentally sound energy services, and benefit from transparent and efficient management of public funds.
Citizens may recall that, at present, the FSM is highly dependent on imported petroleum fuels. Approximately $50,000,000 are spent per annum on fuel imports, with the majority being used for both electricity generation and transportation. While the State of Kosrae and the State of Pohnpei respectively have 98% and 94% of their respective populations accessing electricity, only 85% of the State of Yap’s population has access to electricity, and in the State of Chuuk the overwhelming majority of the population does not have access to electricity.
“Only 30% of State of Chuuk’s population had access to electricity in 2018, per our FSM Energy Master Plan,” President Panuelo said. “As the State of Chuuk is easily our Nation’s most populous, representing approximately half of our total population, it is necessary that the State be fully electrified.”
The FSM Sustainable Energy Project has four (4) intended outputs, the first two of which are intended to strengthen the institutional, governance, and capacity of energy administration in the FSM. “This will be essential to support future growth, coordination, and monitoring of the energy sector,” President Panuelo said. “This is an avenue that will encourage participation of private sector players in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable energy, all of which is within the scope of the FSM Energy Master Plan.”
The latter two outputs of the FSM Sustainable Energy Project will contribute to supporting the FSM’s efforts in increasing access to electrification, as well as increasing the share of renewable energy in the Nation’s total primary energy supply. “This will result in the installation of actual renewable energy systems that will serve populations like those in Faichuk and the Northwest Islands, among other places. Our rural women are to be trained and up-skilled in renewable energy services,” President Panuelo said. “Trainings and scholarships are to be progressed with key departments and training institutions to support our utilities to design, install, and rehabilitate our renewable energy systems, so we will be able to reach and maintain our energy efficiency and renewable energy targets.”
“I want the European Union to know that this isn’t something we take for granted; the FSM Sustainable Energy Project will improve the lives of our citizens,” President Panuelo continued. “We know this Project’s funding is coming from the hard-earned money from citizens across Europe, so we’re going to give it our best and ensure the outcome is meaningful to our country and our citizens. I also take this opportunity to again thank the Secretariat of the Pacific Community for theirtechnical support and assistance in our Nation’s efforts.”
