More than 66,000 people in Papua New Guinea and Bougainville are expected to benefit from two new renewable energy projects under Australia's REnew Pacific programme, which aims to expand access to reliable electricity in remote communities across the Pacific.
Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen announced the three new projects, including a third in Fiji, at a Pre-COP31 event in Fiji this week.
In Papua New Guinea's Oro Province, Sola PayGo and MiBank will deploy pay-as-you-go solar home systems, streetlights and education servers in 19 communities between Popondetta and the Kokoda Track, reaching about 55,000 people.
The project will also provide training in technical skills, financial literacy and digital literacy to support local livelihoods and improve access to education.
In Bougainville, Save the Children and the Autonomous Bougainville Government's Department of Education will install solar power and battery storage systems at five remote schools in Tinputz.
A school-managed solar lantern scheme will also provide safer lighting to as many as 2,000 nearby households, benefiting more than 11,400 people.
The projects are intended to improve electricity access for communities where reliable power remains a challenge, while supporting education, household needs and local economic activity.
The third project, led by the It's Time Foundation in partnership with Fiji's Ministry of Education, will install solar systems with battery storage at 13 remote schools and teachers' homes across Vanua Levu, Viti Levu, Taveuni and the Yasawa Islands. It will also provide Starlink internet, laptops and smart televisions, benefiting more than 1,200 students.
The announcements were made during a special Pre-COP31 session, *Powering the Pacific: Electrification for Climate Resilience, Energy Security and Development*, which brought together Pacific and Australian leaders, communities and experts to discuss renewable energy's role in regional development and energy security.
The three projects bring REnew Pacific's portfolio to 13 locally led projects across seven countries: Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Launched less than two years ago, the programme now reaches more than 255,000 people through projects supporting more than 8,100 homes, 98 schools and 49 health centres.
REnew Pacific builds on the Australian Government's Off-Grid Renewable Energy Partnerships pilots, launched in 2024 across Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu.
Combined, the two initiatives comprise 26 projects, 15 of which have been completed, reaching more than 428,000 people across 215 schools, health centres and communities.
