BY MORRIS NAFU
A survey has revealed the huge negative impacts high electricity costs is having on average and low-income households in the country.
The Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification (MMERE) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) hosted a key event at the Pacific Crown Hotel yesterday to present findings from a comprehensive survey on energy access and affordability in the Solomon Islands.
The ceremony concluded with 10 survey participants, selected as award winners through a draw earlier this week, receiving their prizes for their involvement in the program.
Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) in the Solomon Islands, Raluca Eddon in her address, highlighted critical insights from the survey.
“One of the questions in the survey asked about their incomes and what proportion of their income they pay for electricity.
“And of course, electricity is expensive for everybody. It is extracting a very high toll on lower-income and disadvantaged households,” she said.
Eddon revealed that 39 percent of respondents fell into the lower middle-income range, with one in three earning less than $1,500 per month.
These households spend 11 percent or more of their income on electricity—on average 11 percent.
“That’s huge, locally, anything above 10 percent is considered extremely high in terms of the cost of electricity,” Eddon said.
The survey also pointed out that the burden disproportionately affects poor and low-income households, with many dedicating a significant portion of their earnings to power.
Eddon added a second key finding, which was that even when people have disposable income, the supply of electricity limits their access.
“Even if people have more money and they do have more money to spend on electricity, the access is constrained by availability of electricity,” she explained.
The data also indicated a willingness to pay for improved services, which Eddon described in technical terms as a positive sign for future initiatives.
Looking ahead, she announced that her team plans to actively reach out to people in the provinces to generate more localized information.
“It’s going to be access by province. The reason why I was saying that it probably matters whether somebody from a province answers the question whether it’s in Honiara or they answer the question when they’re based in the province,” she said.
She pointed to challenges in remote areas, citing a discussion about Choiseul Province where about 30 percent of people reported access to electricity.
However, interpretations vary—respondents might claim access if they have occasional power, solar panels, or connections in nearby urban areas, but not necessarily a reliable grid connection.
“As we get responses to their results, we know which parts of the survey would have to be unpacked further going forward,” Eddon said.
Overall, access to electricity remains low in rural provinces, with most people outside provincial capitals lacking reliable power.
“This is the headline,” she remarked.
Eddon also touched on preferences if electricity were more accessible and affordable. Top choices included investments in schools and information and communication technology (ICT).
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