NEWS

The Government of the Cook Islands has submitted a Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) seeking support for implementation to pursue the objective of achieving electricity 100% based on renewable sources by 2020. The proposal includes an implementation plan to generate 50% of its energy production from renewables by 2015, phasing out its current diesel generator-dominated system.

The Cook Islands are currently dependent on imported diesel fuel that costs households an average of 25% of their income to power their energy needs. Moreover, energy demand in the country is growing despite energy efficiency measures already in place. To implement the NAMA, NZ$550,000 is required as initial support for developing training programmes and providing policy support for a new legal framework.

The Cook Islands NAMA was incorporated in the Prototype Registry to record NAMAs seeking international support. The Prototype was set up by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat pursuant to the decision adopted by the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to establish a NAMA Registry as a means to facilitate matching developing countries’ NAMAs with finance, technology and capacity-building needs.[Cook Islands NAMA] [UNFCCC NAMA Prototype Registry Website] [The Cook Islands National Policy on Renewable Electricity]