BY LORETTA B MANELE
When it comes to business, specifically using energy or electricity, we are dictated by what the world does says Qila Tuhanuku, from (Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce) SICCI-Manufacturing Industry Working Group (MIWG).
She expressed the sentiment at last week’s Panel Discussion on “Pathways towards better electric power availability, affordability, and sustainability” held by UNDP and Ministry of Mines at Heritage Park Hotel.
“The simple fact is, when it comes to the business side, we are dictated by what the world does. Our infrastructure, our equipment, the way we work, the technology we use is determined by the world,” Tuhanuku said.
She said that this is usually by the likes of countries like US, China, Germany and European countries.
Tuhanuku said these countries set the pace in terms of technology we have to use in order to produce the application.
“And of course, the backbone for all of it is electricity, or energy in this case,” she added.
Tuhanuku said looking at this scene and taking it back to our respective workplaces, she would say easily 100% of what we need to run our operation every day relies on electricity.
She said if we were to switch it off, 100% of jobs or tasks would sit and although we can deploy people to do other things manually, it’s not what they were hired to do.
“I would safely say that 80% of staff will basically have to go home. 10% are engaged in the very little more labour tasks,” she said.
Speaking on behalf of SICCI, Tuhanuku said this is the first critical thing that she always tries to put forward so that people understand where it is they speak from when they talk about the need to address energy and solar panels.
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