About economic services

The Nauru Sustainable Climate Resilient Project (known as the Port Project) is a grant aid project co-financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Green Climate Fund, the Government of Australia and the Government of Nauru.  The Government of Japan is also contributing equipment for the new Port, such as reach stackers, trucks, tractors, lifting equipment and a tug boat.

The Government of Nauru’s in-kind contribution includes supply of aggregate and sand, counterpart staff in the Project Management Unit, a revolving maintenance fund, land leases, taxes and duties as well as audit fees.  The estimated value of the Government’s contribution is $44.3 million, being $22.9 million in project costs and $21.4 million in-kind.

As of May 2020, the total estimated cost of the project was $144 million, of which donors have contributed $99.7 million (69 per cent), and Nauru is estimated to contribute $44.3 million (31 per cent).  All donor funds are committed.

The project is expected to be completed in early 2021.  However Covid-19 related delays are expected to push completion out to late 2021.

The Department of Finance is the executing agency, and the Nauru Port and Maritime Authority is the implementing agency, responsible for managing the project to completion.

The Solar Power Development Project is funded through a USD22 million grant facility from the ADB.

The project will finance

1. a grid-connected solar power plant with a capacity of 6 megawatts (MW) of alternating current; and
2. a 2.5-megawatt-hour (MWh), 5 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) to enable smoothing of intermittent solar energy.

The system will be fully automated and integrated with the existing diesel generation system (17.9 MW of installed capacity, currently operated manually) to optimize solar energy use, enable optimal BESS charging and discharging, and allow optimal shut-off of the diesel engines. This will reduce Nauru’s reliance on diesel for power generation and decrease production costs.

The project will also support the institutional strengthening of Nauru Utilities Corporation (NUC).

The project is expected to be completed by 31 August 2023.

Nauru has entered an agreement with the ADB to deliver the East Micronesia Cable System (EMCS) project.  The aim of the project is to ensure that efficient internet services are provided to Nauru.

The EMCS is co-financed by the World Bank and ADB through the Improving Internet Connectivity for Micronesia Project.

In April 2019, the ADB announced that it had approved a total of US$36.6 million in grants to help fund the delivery of low-cost, high-quality internet service in Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM); Tarawa and Kiritimati Island in Kiribati; and Nauru. 

This included a US$15 million grant to Nauru.

The project will help install a submarine cable connection between Kiritimati Island to a proposed transpacific cable system connecting Australia and Hawaii, while financing Nauru’s share of the EMCS.

The project will deliver faster, better quality internet, which could facilitate education and training for the labour force, raise the efficiency of the delivery of basic public services, and open new business opportunities.  It is expected to benefit up to 75,000 people.

Nauru Fibre Cable Corporation (NFCC) is a statutory corporation established in the NFCC Act 2017.  Its main responsibility is to establish an efficient international internet service in Nauru.  The Office of NFCC will play a vital role to manage and provide telecommunication services, as well as be Nauru’s representative body in the EMCS.