Energy in the Solomon Islands is shaped by distance. Honiara has the country’s largest electricity system, but hundreds of smaller islands and remote communities cannot be connected through one national grid. Diesel generators remain the foundation of formal electricity supply, while many rural households depend on small solar panels, private generators, batteries, kerosene and traditional biomass.
This structure makes electricity expensive and difficult to expand. Every shipment of diesel, replacement part and piece of generating equipment must move through a long maritime supply chain. The country’s energy transition is therefore not only about reducing emissions. It is about lowering import costs, extending electricity access and building power systems that can survive storms, floods, shipping delays and equipment failures.
An Energy System Divided Between Honiara and the Outer Islands
The Solomon Islands does not have one connected national electricity grid. Its power system consists of the main Honiara network on Guadalcanal, several smaller provincial networks and a large off-grid population spread across remote islands and villages.
Only about 16% of the population receives grid-connected electricity from Solomon Power, the national utility. Another estimated 8% receives power from private, household or community diesel generators. Rural access remains especially limited: only around 4% of rural households receive electricity from the utility or local diesel systems.[1]
These figures do not mean that every other household lives without any electricity. Small solar home systems have become common, with more than 80% of households reported to own a basic photovoltaic system. However, many of these systems use panels of around 20 watts. That may be enough for lighting and mobile phone charging, but it cannot provide the same service as a grid connection. Refrigeration, water pumping, machinery, electric cooking and commercial equipment require larger and more reliable systems.
This difference is important when discussing electricity access in the Solomon Islands. A household may have a solar light and a charged phone while still lacking the power needed to operate a freezer, support a small workshop or store medicines safely. The national energy challenge is therefore both quantitative and qualitative: more people need electricity, and the electricity available must become more useful.
Imported Oil Still Keeps the Lights On
Oil is the most important commercial energy source in the Solomon Islands. The country does not have a major domestic crude oil industry or a large refining sector. It imports refined petroleum products, including diesel, gasoline, aviation fuel and other transport fuels.
Diesel dominates formal electricity generation. In 2024, Solomon Power produced about 110.9 gigawatt-hours of electricity. Diesel operations in Lungga and Honiara produced approximately 88% of that total, while diesel-powered provincial stations supplied another 11%. Solar facilities at Henderson and Ranadi contributed about 1%.[2]
Dependence on imported diesel connects electricity prices directly to global oil markets, shipping costs and exchange rates. The World Bank reported that the retail electricity tariff had risen to around US$0.86 per kilowatt-hour by November 2024, placing it among the highest electricity prices in the Pacific. Fuel represented 44% of Solomon Power’s total expenditure in 2023.[1]
Oil dependence extends beyond electricity. Boats and small ships are essential for moving passengers, food, construction materials and fuel between islands. Diesel also supports fishing vessels, logging operations, agricultural transport, backup generators and heavy equipment. Gasoline is important for road vehicles and small outboard motors, while aviation fuel connects Honiara with provincial airports and international markets.
This means that renewable electricity will not remove the country’s oil dependence by itself. Even after solar and hydropower reduce diesel generation, maritime transport, aviation and road travel will continue to require petroleum unless electric or alternative-fuel transport becomes practical.
Why Coal and Natural Gas Have Almost No Role
Coal is not a meaningful part of the Solomon Islands electricity mix. The country has no large coal-fired power stations, major coal mining industry or industrial system that would justify importing coal in large volumes. A coal plant would also be poorly matched to a small and fragmented electricity market. It would require a dedicated import terminal, storage facilities, pollution controls and a much larger grid.
Natural gas has a similarly limited role. The Solomon Islands does not have a developed domestic gas industry, pipeline network or liquefied natural gas import system. Building LNG terminals and gas-fired power stations would require major investment and would replace one imported fossil fuel with another.
Small diesel generators have historically been more practical because they can be installed in separate towns and supplied by ship. Their weakness is cost. Diesel units also require regular maintenance, imported spare parts and a reliable flow of fuel to many different locations.
For the Solomon Islands, the main alternatives to diesel are therefore not coal or natural gas. They are hydropower for the main Guadalcanal grid, solar and battery systems for provincial centers, and smaller renewable mini-grids for remote communities.
Tina River Hydropower Could Reset Honiara’s Energy Balance
The Tina River Hydropower Development Project is the largest single change planned for the Solomon Islands energy system. The project is being built on Guadalcanal to supply the Honiara grid, where most of the country’s formal electricity demand is concentrated.
The facility will have 15 megawatts of generating capacity through three 5-megawatt turbines. Once operational, it is expected to supply close to 70% of Honiara’s electricity needs and reduce the capital’s dependence on imported diesel by more than 65%.[3]
This would change the role of diesel generation. Instead of operating as the main source of electricity every day, diesel plants could increasingly provide backup power, meet periods of high demand and support the grid when water conditions or maintenance reduce hydropower output.
Tina River is more than a power station. The development includes a dam, a waterway tunnel, a powerhouse, access roads and a transmission connection to the Honiara system. It also includes community infrastructure and a benefit-sharing program intended to direct part of the project’s value toward communities near the development area.
Construction has faced delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, technical preparation and higher project costs. However, work continued through 2025 and 2026. A World Bank implementation report published in June 2026 said construction was progressing in line with the updated schedule. The main cofferdam had reached its design level, work on the dam foundation was continuing and excavation had advanced at the powerhouse site.[4]
Commercial operation remains planned for 2028. That date is important because older plans expected Tina River to transform the grid several years earlier. Until the plant begins operating, Honiara will remain heavily exposed to diesel prices and generator reliability.
Tina River will not solve every national electricity problem. It serves Guadalcanal rather than the entire island chain. Provincial towns and rural communities will still need separate systems. Its main value is that it could remove a large part of the country’s biggest electricity market from constant diesel dependence.
Solar Power Is the Most Practical Option for the Provinces
Solar energy fits the geography of the Solomon Islands better than large centralized power stations. Solar panels can be installed on individual homes, schools, clinics, businesses or small community grids without requiring a connection to Honiara.
The country already has a 1-megawatt solar farm at Henderson and a smaller installation at Ranadi. Their contribution to total utility generation remains modest, but they have provided experience with grid-connected solar under local weather and operating conditions.
New projects are designed to combine solar photovoltaic systems with batteries and existing diesel generators. In this arrangement, solar supplies electricity during daylight hours, batteries store excess energy and diesel remains available when renewable output is insufficient. The purpose is not always to remove diesel immediately. It is to reduce the number of hours that generators must run and lower the volume of fuel shipped to each island.
The Asian Development Bank-backed Solar Power Development Project has focused on provincial centers including Kirakira, Lata, Malu’u, Munda and Tulagi. These locations have historically relied on small diesel stations. Converting them into solar-diesel hybrid systems can reduce operating costs while preserving backup capacity.[5]
A separate renewable energy development program includes solar farms in Guadalcanal and Malaita, together with a 9-megawatt, 24-megawatt-hour battery storage system. Battery storage is particularly important for the Honiara grid because it can balance solar output, support grid stability and reduce the need to start diesel generators during short changes in demand.[6]
Solar development still faces practical limits. Panels, batteries and inverters must be imported. Equipment must survive heat, humidity, salt exposure and heavy rainfall. Technical workers need training, and replacement parts must remain available after international funding and construction contracts end.
Land is another constraint. Approximately 90% of land in the Solomon Islands is held under customary ownership. Large solar farms therefore require careful agreements with landowners. Rooftop solar and systems built on public facilities can avoid some land issues, but they cannot meet all future demand.
The Grid Challenge Is Geographic Before It Is Technical
Electricity infrastructure in the Solomon Islands cannot be planned like the system of a large continental country. The population is spread across many islands, and the cost of extending transmission lines rises quickly outside urban areas.
Solomon Power operates the main Honiara system and separate provincial stations. Each isolated network needs its own generation equipment, distribution lines, fuel supply, maintenance plan and trained workers. Power cannot easily be transferred from one island to another when a generator fails.
Honiara’s electricity system had around 25 megawatts of installed capacity in the most recent World Bank assessment, including 24 megawatts of diesel generation and the 1-megawatt Henderson solar farm. Peak demand reached approximately 18.2 megawatts in 2024.[1][2]
The gap between installed capacity and peak demand may appear comfortable, but installed capacity does not always mean available capacity. In 2023, several diesel generators were out of service, forcing Solomon Power to lease emergency equipment and carry out load shedding. Reliability improved in 2024, but the average Honiara interruption still lasted more than two hours.[2]
Electricity infrastructure must also withstand natural hazards. Heavy rain can damage roads and restrict access to power stations. Flooding and landslides can affect transmission routes. Cyclones can damage poles, wires and solar equipment. Salt air speeds up corrosion, especially in coastal communities.
A resilient energy system therefore needs spare equipment, protected substations, stronger distribution lines and workers based outside Honiara. It also needs systems that can operate independently when shipping or communications are disrupted.
Nuclear Power Is Not Part of the Current Energy Strategy
The Solomon Islands has no nuclear power program and no operating nuclear reactors. Nuclear energy is not a realistic option for the country’s present electricity system.
The Honiara grid is too small for a conventional nuclear power station. Even a relatively small reactor would produce more electricity than the system could safely absorb during periods of low demand. Nuclear development would also require a specialist regulator, technical workforce, emergency planning system, secure fuel arrangements and long-term waste management.
Small modular reactors are sometimes discussed as a future option for island economies, but they remain far beyond the financial and institutional scale of the Solomon Islands. Hydropower, solar, batteries, mini-grids and energy efficiency can address the country’s immediate needs at lower cost and with less technical complexity.
Nuclear power may appear in general searches about the Solomon Islands energy mix, but it has no active role in national generation or current investment plans.
Biomass and the Energy Used Outside the Electricity Grid
Electricity statistics do not capture the full Solomon Islands energy system. Many households continue to use wood and other forms of biomass for cooking. Biomass is also used in some rural economic activities, including the drying of coconut and cocoa products.
Only around 10% of the population had access to clean cooking solutions in the latest renewable energy assessment. This means that household energy remains a separate challenge from electricity generation.[7]
A small solar panel may provide lighting, but it usually cannot replace firewood used for cooking. Moving toward cleaner cooking could involve efficient biomass stoves, biogas, liquefied petroleum gas or larger solar and battery systems that support electric appliances. Each option has limits. LPG must be imported and transported between islands, while electric cooking requires stronger household connections and reliable electricity supply.
Improving cooking energy would have economic and social effects. More efficient stoves can reduce the time required to collect firewood. Cleaner systems can reduce smoke inside homes. Electric or biogas equipment can also support food processing and small rural businesses.
The importance of biomass shows why “renewable energy” must be defined carefully. Traditional firewood is renewable when forests are managed sustainably, but inefficient combustion is not the same as modern clean energy. The country’s long-term goal must be to expand modern renewable electricity while improving the way energy is used inside homes.
Energy Policy Is Also Development Policy
The Solomon Islands National Energy Policy for 2019–2030 set a target of reaching 50% renewable electricity generation by 2030. The later renewable energy roadmap for Honiara presented a more ambitious pathway toward 100% renewable electricity on the capital’s grid, while the country’s climate commitments have also linked higher renewable targets to international financial and technical support.[8]
These targets reflect the economic importance of energy reform. Expensive electricity limits manufacturing, tourism, refrigeration, digital services and food processing. It raises the operating cost of schools, health facilities, hotels, shops and government buildings.
Electricity access also affects the country’s ability to move beyond logging and other resource-dependent industries. Fisheries need cold storage. Agriculture needs processing and reliable transport. Tourism businesses need lighting, communications, water systems and refrigeration. Clinics need power for medicines and equipment.
Most major energy projects depend on partnerships with organizations and governments outside the country. The World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Green Climate Fund, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and other partners have supported hydropower, solar systems, batteries, electricity connections and institutional reform.
Outside support can provide capital that the small domestic market cannot easily raise. However, projects must also create local technical knowledge. A power system is sustainable only when local institutions can operate it, maintain it and replace equipment after the initial funding period ends.
The Future of Solomon Islands Energy Will Be a Network of Different Solutions
The Solomon Islands is unlikely to develop one uniform energy system. Its future will probably combine several different models.
Tina River hydropower can become the main renewable source for Honiara. Larger solar farms and battery storage can support the Guadalcanal grid. Provincial centers can use solar-diesel hybrid systems, while remote communities rely on mini-grids and expanded household solar. Diesel will remain necessary as backup power and will continue to serve transport, shipping and heavy equipment.
Coal, natural gas and nuclear power are unlikely to enter the electricity mix because they do not match the size or geography of the market. The main competition will remain between imported diesel and local renewable resources.
The success of the energy transition will not be measured only by the percentage of renewable generation. It will depend on whether electricity becomes more affordable, whether rural systems provide enough power for productive use, and whether new infrastructure can continue operating in difficult island conditions.
For the Solomon Islands, energy security means using less imported fuel without giving up reliability. Hydropower, solar energy, batteries and smaller island grids offer a path toward that goal, but only if infrastructure, maintenance, land agreements and local skills develop alongside the technology.