Several tonnes of fish could be wasted on a remote Cook Islands atoll due to a failing diesel generator, with no timeline for it to be fixed.

Palmerston Island's population of 23 has been completely reliant on solar power since 19 April, which is only being run from 7am to 7pm.

The island's executive officer Stella Neale said a mechanic has not been able to return to Palmerston to replace faulty parts since they were discovered in May 2024.

The island does not have an airport and is fully reliant on an inter-island cargo ship for transport, which comes about every four months.

"[The mechanic] was not able to come on the last two ships that came to Palmerston and he is not, at this point, seemingly able to get on the next ship because that is also full," Neale said.

Parrotfish fishing is the main business on the island.

Neale said parrot fishermen have their own portable generators which are used to keep "several tonnes of fish" when the power is switched off, but there are fears fuel will run out before the next boat arrives.

Fishermen are also burning through their profits servicing the generators.

"That is actually the greatest concern because they have just done some fishing and the freezers are getting full, then we are having to have to deal with this situation."

Neale said electricity problems are not uncommon.

"We have over many years had to cope with electricity outages and shortened electricity hours and having to make adjustments and allowances in how we do things to accommodate for the difficulties."

She said a long-term solution is a generator that can support the solar plant and is maintained at least twice a year.

"Going forward we would need to be able to have some of our staff upskilled to be able to do those mechanical repairs.

"But Palmerston is depopulating, so we have an additional problem for us, that we do not have sufficient capacity on the island in terms of labour force to upskill.

"It is not just a simple solution, because if we did get a bigger generator, we would still have the same problem - of [having] someone here to do the nominal repairs and to keep it [maintained]."

Palmerston Island first received solar power on February 15, 2015, as part of the “Uira Natura O te Pae Tokerau” project. The new solar energy system officially became operational on February 21, 2015.

To maintain battery charge and ensure the system functions properly, daily use of a diesel generator is still required. The continuous power supply is essential, as the island’s fishermen rely on freezers to store their catches before shipping them to Rarotonga.

The last ship left Palmerston on March 3, 2025. 

- Caleb Fotheringham/RNZ Pacific