Reeves Envico and CE Group have commenced work on the 22-kilometre transmission line that will connect renewable energy from Tina River with the homes, businesses and essential services of Honiara.
Against the rolling hills and demanding terrain of Guadalcanal, work is beginning on a connection that will carry more than electricity.
The new transmission line will extend 22 kilometres from the Tina River Hydropower Facility to Lungga Power Station and the Honiara national electricity grid. Once complete, it will carry up to 15 megawatts of renewable power to the capital, helping reduce reliance on imported diesel and supporting cleaner, more reliable and more affordable energy for Solomon Islanders.
The commencement of construction was marked at a signing ceremony in Honiara attended by representatives of the Solomon Islands Government, Solomon Power, Australia, Reeves Envico and CE Group.
The ceremony recognised a significant step forward for the Tina River Hydropower Development Project-the largest renewable energy initiative undertaken in Solomon Islands.
Reeves Envico is delivering the transmission line works as principal contractor, with CE Group engaged as the Electrical Infrastructure Partner. The relationship brings together Reeves Envico’s longstanding connection with Solomon Islands and CE Group’s experience delivering complex electrical works in remote and operationally challenging environments.
The scale of the undertaking is significant.
The route crosses rolling hills, changing elevations and areas where weather, access and terrain will influence the movement of workers, equipment and materials. Delivering the line will require disciplined planning, technical capability and close coordination with Solomon Power, national workers, communities and the broader project team.
It is a demanding scope, but its purpose is deeply human.
Reliable electricity supports hospitals, classrooms, communications, refrigeration, government services and local businesses. Its value is felt when essential equipment continues operating, when a student can study and when a business can remain productive.
For Reeves Envico and CE Group, those everyday outcomes give the partnership its meaning.
Reeves Envico Managing Director Simon Gorman said the signing marked a deeply significant return to the country where the company’s story began.
“Reeves’ connection with Solomon Islands began in 1988, with our very first project. To return today and sign this contract is more than an important milestone-it is a privilege,” Gorman said.
That history brings both experience and responsibility. The partnership between Reeves Envico and CE Group is grounded in trust, integrity and a shared commitment to deliver work that supports Solomon Islands’ national priorities.
For CE Group, the project is its largest contract to date and an opportunity to apply its electrical engineering and construction capability to work of lasting national value.
CE Group Managing Director Ryan Johnson said the signing reflected the strength of the relationships that continue to connect Solomon Islands and Australia.
“Today’s signing honours that enduring partnership and opens the door to new opportunities for the people of both our nations," Johnson said.
Those opportunities extend beyond the physical delivery of the transmission line.
More than 190 Solomon Islanders are currently employed across the broader Tina River Hydropower Development Project, with further opportunities expected as construction progresses.
Behind that number are workers developing experience, families supported by employment and national capability that will remain beyond the construction period. The wider project also includes education and training initiatives and measures supporting safe employment opportunities for women and girls.
Australia is contributing approximately SBD$180 million to the transmission line project through the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific, combining concessional financing and grant funding.
The project is expected to be completed in early 2028.
Its magnitude can be measured in kilometres, megawatts and the difficulty of the landscape. Its true legacy, however, will be measured by what it enables: stronger energy security, more dependable essential services, national employment and new possibilities for Solomon Islands communities.
For Reeves Envico and CE Group, the intention is clear: to honour the trust placed in the partnership, deliver with integrity and remain focused on the people the work is ultimately intended to serve.
The signing ceremony marked the beginning of that responsibility-not its conclusion. The lasting measure of the partnership will be found in the work delivered, the relationships strengthened and the benefits carried forward for Solomon Islands.
Beyond borders, progress is built through partnership.
