Community Lifelines Programme - Energy Sector - Subregional Workshop Biofuels
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Sub-Regional Workshop on Biofuels in Vanuatu
Background
The use of biofuels for transport and electricity generation has many benefits for the environment and the economies of Pacific island countries. It has been the subject of a range of research and feasibility studies over the past decade.
As part of SOPAC’s Biofuels Programme, funded by the Japanese Government and supported by the Pacific Islands Energy Policy and Strategic Action Plan (PIEPSAP) project, a sub-regional workshop has been held. The workshop was organised in cooperation with the Department of Energy, Vanuatu, and will focus on the challenges the private sector faces in developing a widespread biofuels industry.
The workshop dealt with the use of vegetable oils such as coconut oil as a replacement for diesel fuel, and also addressed other biofuel opportunities in the region. It aimed to evaluate the current state of the biofuel sector, share experiences and identify technical, economic and organisational best practices for a viable biofuels sector, building upon experiences of an earlier Fiji national biofuels workshop in March 2005 in Suva.
Objectives
The aim of the workshop was to produce a draft project proposal for each participating country. This proposal was developed by the participants during the course of the workshop, with a view to implementing the opportunities identified. After the workshop, this proposal will then be finalised through consultation with stakeholders and used as a basis for submitting to investors and/or donors for consideration.
Participants
The workshop saw representatives from the business, utilitty and government sectors of: Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Marshall Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu.
Hon. Willie Jimmy Tapaga Rarua opened the workshop on monday, August 1, 2005
Results
The workshop was very successful in serving as a forum to share experiences, mainly on the use of coconut oil as a replacement to diesel fuel. The participants worked on eight (8) different proposals in various fields, to support the emergence of a biofuel sector in the participating countries. These proposals will be further developed with the country representatives and the Energy Unit in SOPAC.
A CD-Rom with the full contents of the workshop can be requested with: Pooja Pal
Contents of Biofuel Workshop CD
For more information, please contact:
Jan Cloin
Energy Adviser
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