Undergrounding cables is expensive and someone will have to pay for it – Patel

Energy Fiji Limited says undergrounding which is the replacement of overhead power cables with underground cables is very expensive and in some cases can be impractical.

When asked if EFL has a long term plan to do undergrounding for more areas considering Fiji’s vulnerability to natural disasters, CEO Hasmukh Patel says at the end of the day someone has to be paid for it.

He says money is not going to fall from the sky.

Patel says EFL will have to get that money from somewhere and there is a concept called - user pay.

Patel says there has been undergrounding of power cables in some areas like in the four lane Queens Highway in Nadi.

He says they are looking at some areas to underground in the future.

Patel adds they already have about a thousand kilometres of underground power network.