Utilities of Samoa

Power

The government-owned Electric Power Corporation of Samoa generates, transmits and distributes electricity throughout the country. Electricity is available on the islands of Upolu and Savai’i through power generation from diesel, hydropower and biofuels. Approximately 96 per cent of the population have access to electricity.

Samoa has no sources of oil or gas of its own; as such there is no upstream oil industry and the country has to import all of its supplies.

Water

Water resource management in Samoa is spread over several organisations – the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Meteorology deals with watershed management and hydrology while the Ministry of Health monitors water quality standards. Samoa Water Authority is the national service provider of water. Samoa has access to an acceptable level of surface and groundwater, and some 90–95 per cent of people have access to piped water. Surface water availability is highly affected by the yearly rainfall, land use practices and user demand. Approximately 96 per cent of the population use an improved drinking water source and 98 per cent have adequate sanitation facilities (2010).

Telecoms

BlueSky SamoaTel is the sole provider of landline telephone services within the country. BlueSky SamoaTel is a shareholding in which 25 per cent of shares are owned by the government initiative Unit Trust of Samoa, while the other 75 per cent are owned by private company BlueSky Communications and other investors from Samoa and American Samoa. This organisation is also one of the two main cellular phone providers within Samoa, along with Digicel Samoa. The Office of the Regulator is the main regulatory body of the sector, and its role is to establish a fair and unbiased regulatory and licensing environment to foster national and international investment in telecommunications services in the country.