Electricity Utilities
Under the Utilities Regulatory Authority Act, a utility is a person or entity that generates and supplies electricity to customers and is considered as a utility and is subject to the regulations under the URA Act.
There are different categories of electricity utilities operating in Vanuatu:
- Concessionaires
- Electricity Cooperatives
- Community -Operated electric systems
Electricity Concessionaires
A concessionaire is an entity that has a concession agreement with the government to generate, supply, and sell electricity within its concession area. There are three (3) concessionaires currently in operation in Vanuatu.
| Utility Name (Location) | Total Number of Customers | Total Installed Capacity (kW) | Generation Mix | Base Price vt/kWh |
| UNELCO - Efate | 16 218 | 26,600 |
|
62.63 |
| Vanuatu Utilities and Infrastructure (VUI) Ltd - Santo | 4679 | 4270 |
|
61.97 |
| Vanuatu Utilities and Infrastructure (VUI) Ltd- Maewo | 235 | 80 |
|
61.97 |
| Vanuatu Utilities and Infrastructure (VUI) Ltd - Vanua Lava | 107 | 80 |
|
61.97 |
| Vanuatu Utilities and Infrastructure (VUI) Ltd - Ambae | 139 | 108 |
|
61.97 |
| Vanuatu Power and Water Authority (VANPAWA) - Tanna | Not available | 550 |
|
64.89 |
| Vanuatu Power and Water Authority (VANPAWA) - Malekula | Not available | 710 |
|
64.89 |
| Wintua Lorlow Cooperative - Malekula | 116 | 75 |
|
51.00 |
|
Loltong Hybrid System - Pentecost |
97 | 8.8 |
|
64.89 |
Electricity Cooperatives
Electricity Cooperatives are mainly rural hybrid mini-grid systems that have been established under the Cooperative Societies Act Cap 152 and administered by the Office of the Register of Cooperatives and Business Development Services. An electricity cooperative operates on shares from members as well as from revenue generated from URA-determined tariffs. The following are Electricity Cooperatives that are now operating in Vanuatu.
Community Operated Mini-grids
Electricity committees operate and manage Community Operated systems. These are usually very small networks comprising mainly residential customers located in areas where a cooperative is non-existent or considered dormant due to social or financial factors. The Authority ensures that the costs required for the committee to operate and staff to maintain the system are reflected in the tariff. These are community-operated electricity networks in Vanuatu.
Independent Power Producer (IPP)
The Authority ensures that any PPA price agreed to between a utility and an IPP is within the conditions set when the URA determined the tariff for the incumbent utility after the agreed PPA price. The following are IPPs that are now operating within utility-operated grids in Vanuatu.
- Government IPP
- Island location: Efate
- IPP: Ministry of Climate Change
- Total Installed Capacity: 761kW
- Island location: Santo
- IPP: Lycee de Luganville
- Total Installed Capacity: 13 kW
- Island location: Santo
- IPP: Sanma Province
- Total Installed Capacity: 13 kW
- Island location: Santo
- IPP: Northern District Hospital (NDH)
- Total Installed Capacity: 13 kW