^{Wednesday 7 December 2011, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Suva, Fiji}

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community hosted a planning workshop on the Pacific Appliance Labelling and Standards (PALS) Program in Noumea on 5 and 6 December 2011. Over 40 participants representing 16 Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs), Australia, New Zealand and some regional organisations took part in the workshop.

The workshop follows the 42^nd meeting of Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in September 2011, when Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced her support for the introduction of energy labelling and standards for electrical appliances in the Pacific region. The leaders expressed support for meeting energy efficiency targets, including expanding the existing electrical appliance energy efficiency standards and labelling programme to help realise significant energy savings.

The Australian government’s Fast Start Finance is committed to partnering SPC and several PICTs to align with existing energy efficiency standards and labelling programmes, such as the successful programme jointly delivered by Australia and New Zealand. The PALS Program will initially target products such as fridges, air-conditioners and lighting.

A recent study for SPC, which was supported by the Australian Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and the Australian Agency for International Development, on The costs and benefits of introducing standards and labels for electrical appliances in the Pacific region highlighted the significant economic and energy security benefits for PICTs. The study concluded that it is more cost-effective for the Pacific region to import refrigerators, air-conditioners and lighting that are more energy-efficient than it is to import diesel fuel.

There was a high level of engagement and enthusiasm from participants at the planning workshop, which reaffirms the commitment to implementing this initiative according to the ‘many partners, one team’ approach of the Framework for Action on Energy Security in the Pacific.

In welcoming the participants, SPC’s Deputy Director-General Richard Mann highlighted the significance of this initiative to the whole-of-sector approach to addressing the energy security challenges of the region. He also noted that most of the region’s effort is heavily weighted towards renewable energy, when in fact energy efficiency is often the most cost-effective option.

Dr Tamara Somers, Acting Consul General at the Australian Consulate in Noumea, opened the workshop and emphasised that labelling and standards provide a common language to assist in the region's goal of energy security. She highlighted the importance of energy efficiency in reducing the need for additional generation capacity.

For more information, please contact: Solomone Fifita, Deputy Director (Energy), Economic Development Division, SPC, Suva, Fiji (Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).