Solomon Islands

Getting Electricity in

Solomon Islands

Listed below are the procedures, time and cost required for a business to obtain an electricity connection for a newly constructed building.

The information appearing on this page was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 183 economies. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in June 2011.

  • Name of Utility: Solomon Islands Electricity Authority
  • City: Honiara

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No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Submit an application for an electricity connection to Solomon Islands Electricity Authority and await an estimate.

The application is submitted by the electrical contractor. Documents attached to the application: Employer letter (Employer’s letter is a form of identification of the person applying for the power supply in the case of an individual or in this case, a company with the seal. This is to ensure that a genuine developer is applying for the connection).
SIEA does the design and plans for the project at this point and issues an estimate for the connection.
The estimate is paid at the utility. The proof of the payment has to be shown with the receipt attached to the quotation.
There is a fixed connection fee of USD 100. It is a fixed rate for all commercial installation. It is for permission to use power and billing purposes.
There is a security deposit of 200 USD. The utility does not pay an interest and it is refunded at the end of the contract.
Once the payment is made the customer signs a contract with SIEA which includes an agreement for consumption of power.



Agency: SIEA 		8 calendar days USD 193.4
2 Await completion of the external inspection by the SIEA for the preparation of the estimate

SIEA inspects the site of the building to be connected for preparation of the estimate.

Agency: SIEA 		2 calendar days no charge
3 Await completion of the external connection works by SIEA

The external connection works can start immediately after all payments are done and appropriate materials are received. Only SIEA is in charge of the external connection works.
There would be a wait of 3 to 4 weeks for the materials (transformer) to be ordered and arrive.
While the material is being ordered the utility does the initial works.

Only underground connections are possible as only underground cabling is in stock at the utility and no material for overhead lines is available.


Agency: SIEA 		29 calendar days USD 20,000.0
4 Await inspection of the internal wiring by SIEA, meter installation and electricity starts flowing

After an internal wiring "completion notice" is submitted to SIEA by an electrician they conduct inspection of the internal wiring. The electrician in charge of the wiring has to be present during the inspection.
The customer is issued a permit to use power after SIEA wiring inspectors have certified the installation is ready for use. The internal wiring inspection is carried out after the external connection works are completed and the building is ready for energization.
The meter installation is the last job to be done once all payments, paper works and the technical works and internal wiring met the utility’s requirements. It can be done at the end of the internal wiring inspection.
Installation of a meter is part of SIEA service to the customers and is free. The meter itself costs 200 USD.
There is also a fixed fee of 180 LCU paid upfront to cover service charges.


Agency: SIEA 		2 calendar days USD 222.0
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