​​​​​​​Ngaahi Palani Tu’uloa e Kautaha ‘Uhila ‘a Tonga ki hono fakalelei’I e tu’unga falala’anga ‘etau ma’u’anga ‘uhila, mo e ngaahi sevesi e kautaha ‘uhila kae pehe foki ki ha totongi ‘uhila ‘oku fe’unga mo ‘etau ivi fakapaánga .

Nuku'alofa, Tonga - Me 3, 2024

Mei he kautaha ‘uhila ‘a Tonga, ko ‘emau misiona fisifisimu’a: ke mau fakahoko ‘aki homau lelei taha ‘emau fakahoko fatongia ki he kau ma’u ‘uhila ‘i he taimi kotoa pe. Fakatatau ko ia ki he‘emau misiona, ne malava ke mau fakahoko ai hano toe siofi mo fakalelei’i ‘emau ngaahi palani ngaue, ‘o mau fengaue’aki fakataha ai mo e Pule Le’ole’o pea mo e kau taki ngaue ki hono tofa e halafononga ki mu’a ‘a e kautaha.

Ko ‘emau ngaahi visone ‘oku makatu’unga ia ‘i he me’a lalahi ‘e tolu:

‘Uluaki, ko hono fakapapau’i ‘emau ngaahi tefito’i ngaue ‘a ia ko hono fo’u, tufaki pea mo fakatau atu ha ivi ‘uhila pau mo falala’anga, he ko ‘emau ngaue tu’ukimu’a ia. Ko e lahi taha e ngaahi pole ‘oku fehangahangai mo e kautaha ‘uhila ‘a Tonga, ko e ngaahi palopalema mei he kuohili ‘i he ‘ikai ke palani’i lelei hono tokangaekina e ngaahi me’angaue ki hono fo’u ko ia e ivi ‘uhila, ‘aia ko e a’u mai ki he ta’u ni 2024 ko e peseti ‘e 80% e kotoa  e ngaahi misini fo’u ‘uhila ‘e 23 ‘a e kautaha ‘uhila ‘a Tonga, fakataha pe ‘a Tongatapu ni mo e ngaahi ‘otu motu ‘i tahi, kuo ‘ova ‘enau ta’u ngaue ‘i he ta’u ko ia ‘oku totonu ke nau fakahoko fatongia ai, pea ‘oku makatu’unga mei ai e ngaahi palopalema fakatu’upakee ki heenau fakahoko fatongia fakataha mo e ngaahi pole ‘o e tekinolosia fo’ou ‘i hono fokotu’u mo tanaki ko ia ki he’emau ngaahi me’angaue fo’u ‘uhila ‘o tupunga mei ai e fa’a motuhia ‘etau ma’u’anga ‘uhila. Fakataha ki ai pea mo e faingata’a ko ia hono tauhi mo tokanga’i e ngaahi ma’u’anga ivi ‘uhila, kau ai e ivi ’uhila ‘oku ala fakafo’ou, maka ‘uhila, mo e ngaahi misini fo’u ‘uhila, ‘a ia ‘oku fu’u fiema’u ai ke fakalakalaka’i e tekinolosia ke fakafaingofua’i hono tokanga’i e ivi ‘uhila mei he ngaahi ma’u’anga ivi ‘uhila kehekehe ko eni.

‘I he tafa’aki ko ia e laine tufaki ‘uhila mei tatau pe mo e tafa’aki fo’u ‘uhila, ‘oku ‘iai hono ngaahi pole pea mo e ngaahi palopalema makatu’unga ko e ‘ikai palani’i lelei hono tokangaekina e ngaahi naunau tufaki ‘uhila, tautautefito ki hono vakai’i pea mo sivi’i e ngaahi naunau ke lava ke ‘ilo e ngaahi ‘elia te ne ala fakatupunga ha palopalema ‘i he laine ke ne fakahoko ai ha motuhia e ma’u’anga ‘uhila.

Ki hono solova e ngaahi palopalema mo e ngaahi pole ‘i loto ‘i he’emau ngaahi tefito’i fatongia ki hono fo’u pea mo tufaki ‘etau ma’u’anga ‘uhila, ‘oku fokotu’u ai ‘e he kautaha ‘uhila ‘a Tonga ‘a e me’angaue fakataumu’a ki hono fakalelei’i ‘a e ngaahi naunau ki he fo’u ‘uhila pea pehee foki ki he ngaahi naunau tufaki ‘uhila ‘a e kautaha. ‘Oku fakafuofua ki he pa’anga Tonga fakakatoa ‘e 45 miliona kuo fokotu’u ki he ta’u fakapa’anga ka hoko (FY24/25).’I he ta’u fakapa’anga lolotonga ‘oku ‘osi a’u e fakamole ‘a e kautaha ki he ngaahi fakalelei ki he laine tufaki ‘uhila pea mo e ngaahi misini fo’u ‘uhila ki he pa’anga Tonga fakakatoa ‘e 7 miliona.  Ko e ngaahi fakamole lalahi ko eni ‘oku fakataumu’a ia ke ne feau e ngaahi fiema’u mahu’inga ko ia ki hono fo’u mo tufaki e ivi ‘uhila

Ko e pa’anga Tonga ‘e 15.3 miliona kuo vahe’i ki he tafa’aki fo’u ‘uhila. Ko e pa’anga ko eni ‘e kau ki ai mo hono fakalelei’i e ngaahi fale misini lolotonga ki Tongatapu ni pea mo motu foki, kau ai mo hono fokotu’u e ngaahi misini fo’u ‘uhila fo’ou, fetongi e ngaahi me’alele ngaue kuo fu’u motu’a ke toe lelei ange e fakahoko fatongia, pea mo hono fakalahi e ngaahi poloseki ki he ngaahi ma’u’anga ivi ala fakafo’ou ke toe tolonga mo malu foki. ‘Oku kau foki ki heni ‘a hono fetongi e ngaahi misini fo’u ‘uhila kuo fu’u motu’a ‘aki e misini fo’u ‘uhila fo’ou (2MW) ‘e tolu, ‘oku tau fakamalo heni ki he tokoni mei he pule’anga ‘Aositelelia.

Ko e ngaahi fakamole lalahi ki hono tauhi mo tokanga’i e laine tufaki ‘uhila ‘oku fakafuofua ki he pa’anga Tonga fakakatoa ‘e 28.4 miliona ‘aia ‘oku kau ki ai mo e poloseki fakalelei e laine tufaki ‘uhila ki he ngaahi ‘elia ‘o Nuku’alofa, hono fakapa’anga ko ia mei he pule’anga ‘Aositelelia. Ko e ngaue ko eni ‘e tokoni ia ke toe lelei ange mo pau ange e ma’u’anga ‘uhila ki he kau ma’u ‘uhila fo’ou ‘i ‘Anana, Houmakelikao, Touliki, Popua mo Patangata. Ko e pa’anga tokoni ko eni ‘e toe tokoni ia ki hono fakalahi ko ia e laine tufaki ‘uhila ki he kau ma’u ‘uhila fo’ou, fakalelei ke si’isi’i e motuhia e ma’u’anga ‘uhila, fakalelei’i e ngaahi fale tuku’anga naunau ‘uhila, pea mo hono fetongi ko ia e ngaahi me’alele ngaue kuo fu’u motu’a. ‘E kau ki heni foki mo e me’angaue ki hono vakai’i mo sivi’i e laine tufaki ‘uhila ke ‘ilo kei taimi e ngaahi ‘elia pe palopalema te ne ala fakatupunga ha motuhia e ma’u’anga ‘uhila ‘i he kaha’u.

‘Oku ‘iai leva mo e pa’anga Tonga ‘e 1.3 miliona kuo vahe’i ke tokoni ki he malu mo e hao ko ia e ngaahi fakamatala mahu’inga e kautaha pea mo tokoni ke toe lelei ange e fakahoko fatongia ki he tafa’aki fakatau atu e ivi ‘uhila. ‘Oku kau heni ki hono fokotu’u e tekinolosia fo’ou ki hono fakalelei’i e tafa’aki ki hono tanaki mo pila’i e mo’ua ‘uhila, pea mo fokotu’u ha senita ke malu’i ai e ngaahi fakamatala mahu’inga e kautaha ‘uhila ‘a Tonga.

Ko e ngaahi fokotu’utu’u mahu’inga ko eni ‘oku tokoni lahi ia ki hono fakaivia e tokangaekina ke toe falala’anga ange e ma’u’anga ‘uhila ki he kau ma’u ‘uhila mo fakapapau’i ‘e tolonga mo tu’uloa ‘emau fakahoko fatongia.

Ko hono ua, ‘oku kau ‘i he taumu’a mahu’inga ki he kautaha ‘uhila, ko hono fakahoko lelei ‘a e ngaahi sevesi talitali kakai. ‘Oku mahino’i ‘e he kautaha ‘uhila ‘a e ngaahi pole mo e palopalema ‘i he taimi ko ia ‘oku ‘ikai ke mau fakahoko lelei homau fatongia ki he kau ma’u ‘uhila, ki hono solova ai e ngaahi fehu’i pea mo e ngaahi launga kuo fakahoko mai ki he’emau va’a talitali kakai.

Ko ia ai ‘oku fokotu’utu’u ‘e he kautaha ‘uhila ‘a Tonga ha ngaahi polokalama ako ke tokoni ki hono fakalelei mo fakataukei’i ‘a e kau ngaue laine mu’a e kautaha ‘uhila. ‘E fakahoko foki mo e ngaahi ngaue ki hono sivisivi’i e ngaahi va’a fetu’utaki ke fakapapau’i ‘oku ‘i he tu’unga fakafiemalie ‘enau fakahoko fatongia ki he kau ma’u ‘uhila. ‘Oku ‘iai mo e ngaahi fokotu’utu’u fo’ou ki hono fakalakalaka’i ke toe lelei ange ‘emau sevesi talitali kakai, ‘a ia ‘oku kau ki ai mo hono fakalelei’i e tohi mo’ua ‘uhila ke toe faingofua ange hono mahino’i.

Faka’osi, ‘Oku mahu’inga ki he kautaha ‘uhila ‘a Tonga hono faka’ai’ai e ‘ata ki tu’a e ngaahi fetu’utaki, pea mo tufaki atu ‘i he taimi totonu ke lalanga e va fengaue’aki pea mo e kau ma’u ‘uhila. ‘Oku ‘iai e ngaahi fokotu’utu’u ke fakalelei e founga fetu’utaki e kautaha hange ko e ngaahi taimi ko ia ‘e fakahoko ai ha ngaahi ngaue lalahi ki hono fakalelei’i e laine tufaki ‘uhila pe ko e misini fo’u ‘uhila, pe ko ha palopalema ‘e hoko fakatu’upakee te ne uesia ‘etau ma’u’anga ‘uhila. Ko ‘emau ngaahi palani fisifisimu’a ki he va fetu’utaki mo e kau ma’u ‘uhila, ‘oku ‘i he ‘elito ia ‘emau ngaue ‘ata ki tu’a.

Fakalukufua, ko e ngaahi palani langa fakalakalaka tu’uloa ko eni kuo fokotu’u ‘e kautaha ‘uhila ‘a Tonga, ‘oku taumu’a ia ke a’usia ‘emau misiona fisifisimu’a ki hono fakahoko homau fatongia ‘aki homau lelei taha ke fo’u mo tufaki atu ha ma’u’anga ‘uhila ‘oku falala’anga, pehee foki ki hono fakahoko ‘emau sevesi talitali kakai ki he lelei taha. ‘Oku mau tui fakapapau ko e ngaahi palani ko eni, ‘e ‘ikai ngata pe ‘i he’ene tokoni ke solova e ngaahi pole lolotonga ‘oku fe’ao mo e kautaha ‘uhila, ka te ne tofa ha halafononga tu’uloa ki he lelei ‘a e kau ma’u ‘uhila.

Tonga Power Limited Strategic Plans to Improve the Reliability and Sustainability of Electricity Services as well as providing affordable electricity prices

At Tonga Power Limited, our mission is unwavering: to deliver the best possible service to our customers at all times. Guided by this mission, we have recently undertaken a comprehensive strategic review, in collaboration with our acting CEO and senior management team, to chart a clear path forward for the company.

Our strategic vision is built upon three pillars:

Firstly, ensuring our core service of providing reliable electricity generation, electricity distribution and electricity retail remains our top priority. Most of the challenges faced by TPL is due to historical issues of poor power generation asset placement priority planning which has resulted in this year 2024 80% of TPL’ s 23 electricity diesel genset fleet Tongatapu and outer islands exceeding its asset life which also comes with unexpected performance issues coupled with the technological challenges of new power generation technologies integrated into our power generation system which has resulted in contributing to our power outages. With the complexity of managing our power generation sources from renewable energy, battery storage systems and diesel generation systems there is also an urgent need for digitizing and automating our power generation system. 

In the network distribution operations side similar to Power generation there were also several challenges and issues with poor network distribution asset management planning specifically proactive network inspections and assessment to be able to detect areas within the network that has a potential risk impact of causing a power outage.

To resolve these issues and challenges within our core function of power generation and power network distribution, Tonga Power Limited is committing significant resources to upgrade its power generation & Network distribution infrastructure. Approximately TOP$45 million has been allocated for the next fiscal year (FY24/25) budget. In the current fiscal year (FY23/24), the company has invested a total of TOP$7 million for improvements to our power generation and network distribution infrastructure. This investment will encompass several critical initiatives for power generations and network distribution operations.

15.3 million TOP investment has been allocated for power generation. Funds will also upgrade existing facilities in Tongatapu and outer islands, integrate new gensets, replace the aging vehicle fleet for operational efficiency, and expand renewable energy projects for sustainability and energy security. Additionally, safety aspects of power generation facilities will be improved to mitigate potential risks. Furthermore, this includes replacing aging gensets with 3 new 2MW units, thanks to support from the Government of Australia.

The 28.4 million TOP investment in network distribution operations includes strengthening the grid and upgrading the Nuku'alofa network with support from the government of Australia. This will increase resilience, reliability, and new connections in areas like Anana, Houmakelikao, Touliki, Popua, and Patangata. Funds will also expand the network to accommodate new customers, enhance infrastructure to reduce outages, upgrade facilities for asset storage, and replace aging fleet vehicles. Additionally, proactive network inspection tools will be implemented to enhance reliability and resilience by identifying and preventing potential issues.

The 1.3 million TOP investment in electricity retail and IT technology operations aims to enhance resilience and risk mitigation strategies. This includes integrating a Meter Data Management System into the Billing System to improve billing management and establishing a Data Centre Recovery Site to protect important customer data in case of a natural disaster.

These important investments are vital to maintaining a robust and dependable electricity supply for our customers and ensuring the long-term sustainability of our operations.

Second strategic pillar requires TPL to provide excellent, responsive customer service is paramount to our success. TPL acknowledges the challenges and issues due to times when our customer service to our customers has not been responsive, timely and being able to effectively address and resolve enquiries or complaints submitted through our customer service channels such as our bill payment offices, on telephone, email or through our online platforms.

To this end, Tonga Power Limited is investing in training programs and improving our customer service processes and procedures to ensure timely addressing of customer enquiries and complaints. We will also be ensuring conduct monthly audits of our customer service channels to ensure our customer service staff are performing their duties to our customers. Furthermore, TPL will be rolling out several new initiatives to improve our customers service such as our new upgraded power bill next financial year to make it clearer for customers to understand their electricity charges and other important retail developments.

Lastly, promoting transparent and timely communication with our customers is fundamental to building trust and fostering positive relationships. Tonga Power Limited recognizes the importance of keeping our customers informed every step of the way. As such, we are enhancing our communication channels and implementing regular updates to provide real-time information on service updates, maintenance schedules, and potential disruptions. Transparency is at the core of our communication strategy, and we are committed to upholding the highest standards of accountability and integrity.

In conclusion, these strategic investments underscore our commitment to delivering reliable electricity, exceptional service, and transparent communication to our customers. We are confident that these initiatives will not only address current challenges but also pave the way for sustainable growth and enhanced customer satisfaction.

Malo áupito,

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