Pacific Islands Renewable Energy Investment Program Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga

The Pacific Islands Renewable Energy Investment Program, funded with USD 17 million in GCF grants, aims to transition seven Pacific SIDS—the Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tonga—away from diesel power. Component 1 focused on installing Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in the Cook Islands to improve grid stability and load shifting, while Component 2 provided technical assistance for sector reform and capacity building across all target countries. The evaluation finds that while BESS installation has progressed, the lack of timely procurement for solar independent power producers (IPPs) has left some storage capacity idle. Component 2's effectiveness was significantly hampered by COVID-19 travel restrictions, though progress was made in the Marshall Islands and Micronesia. The report highlights the need to synchronize BESS and solar procurement and suggests a 'portfolio approach' to regional utility reform to diversify risk.

• The Program is well-aligned with national energy policies, such as the Cook Islands' goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2025 and the Federated States of Micronesia's target of 84 percent renewable energy by 2037.
• Component 1 has achieved USD 5 million of a target USD 16 million in physical asset investments and leveraged USD 2 million in public financing against a USD 10 million goal.
• The 'Airport South Load Shifting BESS' (2 MW / 8 MWh) was completed in February 2020 but remained idle as of February 2021 because additional solar PV had not yet been installed.
• The 'Power Station Grid Stability BESS' (6 MW / 3 MWh) faced significant delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and logistical issues, with the system not shipping from Germany until late December 2021.
• Component 2's technical assistance was completed for the Marshalls Energy Company in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and two utilities in the Federated States of Micronesia (Pohnpei Utilities Corporation and Chuuk Public Utility Corporation), but was deferred in other countries due to COVID-19 or overlapping donor projects.
• A critical lesson learned is the necessity of coupling or closely sequencing the commissioning of BESS with the solar facilities that use them to avoid idle capacity.
• Gender equity was not a central objective; the only target was for women to make up 50 percent of direct beneficiaries, which the report notes is largely reflective of the general population split.
• The Program's 'portfolio approach' to utility reform in Component 2 allowed for the diversification of risk, enabling progress in some countries even when work was halted in others due to the pandemic.
• The project experienced unexpected positive results in the Cook Islands, where it sparked increased citizen interest in residential solar installations, leading to expressions of interest for 12 MW of connections in 2017.
• The Program demonstrated coherence with other multilateral entities, such as the World Bank and Australia's DFAT, though some lack of coordination occurred, such as overlapping Energy Master Plans in the Federated States of Micronesia.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2022). Pacific Islands Renewable Energy Investment Program Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp036-interim-evaluation-report-pub.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Pacific Islands Renewable Energy Investment Program Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga. 2022. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp036-interim-evaluation-report-pub.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Pacific Islands Renewable Energy Investment Program Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga |date=January 2022 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp036-interim-evaluation-report-pub.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2022pacific, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Pacific Islands Renewable Energy Investment Program Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2022}, month = jan, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp036-interim-evaluation-report-pub.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }