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Bali, Indonesia, 3 June 2026: In a landmark convening of Pacific Island leaders, ministers, development partners, and private sector innovators, the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and World Bank Group co-hosted the first ISA SIDS Dialogue – Pacific, a flagship regional engagement under the ISA SIDS Platform. Themed ‘A Pacific Talanoa – Guided by the Ocean, Powered by the Sun’, the Dialogue brought together governments from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Mauritius to translate high-level commitments on clean energy into bankable, on-the-ground implementation across Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
The Dialogue was convened as a precursor to the World Bank’s East Asia and Pacific Energy Knowledge and Learning Forum on the Sustainable Energy Transition, held from 3 to 5 June 2026 in Bali, seizing a critical moment for Pacific nations to collectively advance their solar and energy storage ambitions under a unified, platform-based approach. Pacific Island Countries face a stark energy reality, spending over US$1 billion annually on fossil fuel imports, nearly 80% of total energy expenditure, while aging infrastructure, average system losses of 18%, and rising climate risks continue to raise household costs, strain public services, and slow economic growth, even as private capital has long stayed away, deterred by regulatory uncertainty, unclear tariffs, weak utility financials, limited technical capacity, and costly long-tenor financing.
To help address these barriers, ISA, in partnership with the World Bank Group, launched the first tender on the E- Marketplace for a 220 MW solar and solar-plus-storage pipeline in Mauritius. Mauritius has identified, prioritised, and prepared a 220 MW solar and solar-plus-storage pipeline comprising around ten projects for market access. The initiative provides a clear demonstration of how the E-Marketplace translates national ambition into bankable, scalable opportunities by connecting project preparation, structured procurement, and investor engagement. As the first country moving projects through this pathway, Mauritius offers a practical model for other Small Island Developing States seeking to accelerate clean energy deployment at scale. The E-Marketplace, a platform designed to connect governments, developers, financiers, and technology providers through a structured pathway that supports project preparation, standardised procurement, and investor engagement.
Reflecting on Mauritius’s pioneering role in operationalising the Platform’s e-marketplace, H.E. Patrick Gervais Assirvaden, Hon’ble Minister, Ministry of Energy and Public Utilities, Mauritius, said, “Mauritius is proud to partner with the International Solar Alliance and the World Bank Group in launching one of the first major tenders through the ISA SIDS Platform’s e-marketplace. Our 220 MW solar-plus-battery storage initiative will bring nearly a quarter of our generation capacity from clean energy, strengthening our energy security, reducing our exposure to volatility in imported fuel prices, and advancing our commitment to a resilient, low-carbon future. We hope this initiative will serve as a replicable model for fellow Small Island Developing States, demonstrating that with the right platform, partnerships and policy frameworks, ambitious solar deployment is both achievable and bankable. Mauritius stands ready to share its experience with Pacific Island Countries and work alongside them as they chart their own pathways to a clean energy future.”
Speaking on behalf of Fiji’s commitment to a clean energy future, H.E. Ro Filipe Tuisawau, Hon’ble Minister, Ministry for Public Works, Transport and Meteorological Services, Republic of Fiji, said, “For Pacific Island Countries, the energy transition is not a distant aspiration but an urgent necessity. Fiji and our Pacific neighbours are already experiencing the consequences of climate change, and our dependence on costly, imported fossil fuels only deepens our vulnerability. The ISA SIDS Platform offers a credible, structured pathway to change that reality, and Fiji is committed to working within this framework to prepare bankable projects, attract investment, and build the resilient, solar- powered infrastructure our communities deserve. The SIDS dialogue we have convened here in Bali reflects our shared determination to move from dialogue to delivery, and Fiji stands ready to lead by example.”
Ashish Khanna, Director General, International Solar Alliance, speaking at the Dialogue on the strategic importance of the Platform for island economies, stated, “For Small Island Developing States, the energy transition is a development imperative for affordability, resilience and long-term economic stability. The ISA SIDS Platform aims to unlock up to 500 megawatts of solar by 2030 by aggregating island demand and giving private investors the confidence to commit capital at scale. Mauritius has set a powerful example by preparing a 220 MW solar-plus- storage tender through the Platform’s e-marketplace, which will bring nearly a quarter of its generation capacity from solar, offering Pacific Island Countries a clear, replicable model. Complementing this, the Designing Resilient SIDS Embedded Architecture Challenge and the SIDS Solarisation Framework will further strengthen island-led innovation and delivery. The Pacific Dialogue in Bali is a decisive step in turning this momentum into concrete project pipelines and investment commitments, positioning island nations at the very centre of the global energy transition.”
Sudeshna Ghosh Banerjee, Regional Director, Infrastructure, East Asia and Pacific Region, The World Bank, stated, “The Pacific has both the urgency and the opportunity to lead on clean energy. What we have learned from experiences such as the Maldives is that with the right preparation, risk mitigation, and strategic partnerships, island economies can attract strong private-sector interest and deliver significantly lower-cost solar power. Through the World Bank’s ongoing Accelerating Sustainable Energy Transition program and the SIDS Platform, we are working with partners to turn this potential into a robust pipeline of bankable projects across the Pacific region.”
Key Outcomes of the ISA SIDS Dialogue – Pacific
Launch of the Phase 1 SIDS Project Pipeline: The Dialogue marked the official unveiling of the Phase 1 pipeline of government-endorsed solar and storage projects through the ISA SIDS Platform E-Marketplace: a live, transparent, readiness-based digital platform enabling island governments to list, compare, and advance projects with access to international developers and financiers.
Peer Learning with Mauritius: Mauritius shared its projectisation journey as a model for Pacific SIDS, demonstrating how a 220 MW solar and solar-plus-storage pipeline comprising around ten projects has been identified, prioritised, and prepared through the Platform’s E-Marketplace for market access. Pacific counterparts drew direct lessons for replicating this pathway in their own contexts.
Capital and Risk: A Candid Dialogue: In a frank exchange between multilateral development banks, global developers, and Pacific energy leaders, participants examined the structural reasons capital avoids Pacific SIDS, from small, fragmented markets to unpredictable regulatory environments, and identified concrete shifts in risk-mitigation, guarantees, and procurement design needed to unlock investment at scale. The World Bank presented
The SIDS RE Embedded Architecture Challenge: In a creative and forward-looking session, the Dialogue launched the ‘Designing Resilience – SIDS RE Embedded Architectural Challenge’, exploring how Pacific resorts, tourism spaces, and public buildings can move beyond add-on solar panels to design-integrated, aesthetically coherent clean energy solutions, recognising the tourism sector’s pivotal role in accelerating island energy transitions.
A closing fireside chat explored whether Pacific islands stand at the threshold of a historic shift from diesel dependence to resilient, solar-centred economies, and what it will take politically, financially, and technologically to realise that vision. With the COP31 Pre-COP set to be held in a Pacific island country and Australia serving as President of Negotiations under Turkey’s COP Presidency, the ISA SIDS Dialogue – Pacific arrives at a defining moment, placing the solar ambitions of island economies firmly within the global climate agenda.
