$18 Million Power Assistance Raises Questions as Generator Failure Leaves Tongatapu Facing Rotational Outages
Nuku’alofa, Tonga — Tonga Power Limited (TPL) has apologised to electricity consumers across Tongatapu following several days of rotational power outages, admitting that the reliability standards expected by the public have not been met.
The admission came as Tonga Power addressed the ongoing electricity crisis following the failure of its largest generator, which has significantly reduced the country’s available generation capacity.
URGENT PRESS CONFERENCE
Tonga Power called an urgent press conference on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, to address the continuing power supply problems.
The press conference was attended by Deputy Chairman of the Common Utilities Board of Directors Mr. Siotame Tsutomu Nakao and Mr. Nikolasi Fonua, together with representatives of the media.
Six media organisations attended the press conference:
- Tonga Broadcasting Commission /Letio Tonga A3Z
- 88.1FM – People’s Radio
- Keleʻa Radio 91.5FM
- Matangi Tonga
- Radio 87.5FM
- Tonga Chronicle
LARGEST GENERATOR FAILURE
According to Tonga Power’s media statement issued on 18 August 2026, the current situation began following the failure of its largest generator on Saturday, 15 August.
The failure significantly reduced the amount of electricity available to meet demand across Tongatapu.
To prevent a complete system blackout, Tonga Power said it has been carrying out controlled, rotational load shedding, with different areas experiencing scheduled interruptions.
The company said the outages are being rotated between areas in an effort to distribute the impact as fairly as possible while maintaining electricity to essential services, including hospitals, water systems and other critical infrastructure.
For households and businesses, however, the outages have created significant disruption, affecting daily activities, commercial operations and the ability of families to rely on a consistent electricity supply.
REPAIRS EXPECTED WITHIN TWO WEEKS
Tonga Power confirmed that repair work on the failed generator is underway and is expected to be completed within two weeks.
The company is also completing the installation of two new generator units, which it said is expected to take a similar amount of time.
Until additional generation capacity becomes available, Tonga Power warned that rotational outages may continue depending on system conditions and electricity demand.
A planned load-shedding schedule covering 17–23 August has been released, outlining areas that may experience daytime and nighttime outages.
The company said load shedding may not be necessary when available generation is sufficient to meet demand.
WHAT ABOUT THE $18 MILLION?
88.1FM – People’s Radio Director and journalist Etuate Lavulavu, questioned whether the TOP $18 million in taxpayers’ money provided to assist the public with electricity bills could, in any way, be considered in addressing the ongoing generator problems and strengthening the reliability of Tonga’s electricity supply.
Lavulavu’s questions put the focus not only on the immediate power outages but also on the broader issue of whether sufficient investment is being made in the infrastructure needed to provide a reliable electricity service to the people of Tonga.
The question does not necessarily suggest that the existing assistance can simply be redirected. Rather, it raises an issue whether additional investment is needed to strengthen Tonga’s power generation capacity.
For taxpayers and electricity consumers, the issue is straightforward: if millions of dollars are being spent to help people pay their electricity bills, what is being done to ensure that the electricity supply itself is reliable?
“WE NEED TO DO MUCH BETTER”
In acknowledging the difficulties facing consumers, Tonga Power issued an apology and recognised that the standard of reliability expected by the public has not been achieved.
“We need to do much better.”
The statement represents a significant acknowledgement from the country’s electricity provider at a time when public frustration over repeated outages is growing.
Tonga Power said it remains committed to improving its performance and achieving the level of reliability expected of the nation’s electricity supply.
As Tonga Power works to restore its generation capacity, the public will be watching closely for answers on both the immediate repairs and the longer-term investment required to prevent similar disruptions in the future.
Tonga Chronicle will continue to follow the situation and report on developments surrounding Tonga’s electricity supply, generator repairs and the questions raised over the use of public funds to support electricity consumers.
