The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC) wishes to clarify the status of the proposed Natadola Cable Landing Development Project at Malomalo, Nadroga. This development forms part of the Pacific Connect initiative, a regional telecommunications programme establishing new subsea cable links between Fiji and destinations including the United States, Australia and French Polynesia.
The project comprises three components: the proposed Landing Station Facility, to be constructed and developed by Staghorn Services Pte Limited, the installation of two beach manholes and associated conduits leading to the landing station facility, also by Staghorn Services Pte Limited, and the Marine Subsea Cable Landing, developed and managed by Yellowfin Infrastructure Pte Limited. Three separate EIA screening applications were lodged with the Department, one for each component. Each was assessed on its own merits, and the components should not be reported as a single approval or a single refusal.
The regulatory status of the three components as at the date of this statement is as follows:
●Landing Station Facility (Staghorn Services Pte Limited). EMP approved with conditions on 19 July 2024.
●Two beach manholes and trenching of conduits leading to the landing station facility (Staghorn Services Pte Limited). EMP declined on 5 February 2025.
●Marine Subsea Cable Landing (Yellowfin Infrastructure Pte Limited). EMP approved with conditions on 23 September 2024.
The proposed cable route is located at Natadola Bay between the Yatule Resort & Spa and the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa and extends approximately 1.3 kilometers inland along the access road to Maro Road to the proposed Landing Station Facility site. As part of the assessment process, a Marine Ecological Resource Assessment was undertaken in 2024 to assess potential impacts on marine habitats, fish communities, birds and water quality. The assessment found that the marine environment within the project area is characterized by fringing coral reefs, rubble, rock and sandy substrates, with ecological communities typical of Fiji’s nearshore coastal environments.
To minimize environmental impacts, the conditions imposed for the marine cable component include restricting works to daylight hours, suspending earthworks during heavy rainfall and adverse weather, protecting seagrass meadows and marine habitats, requiring prompt reporting of spills, and ensuring that cable installation activities avoid adverse impacts on coastal and marine ecosystems.
The Department also required a social survey to assess community views on the proposed development. That requirement was imposed by the determination letter issued to Staghorn Services Pte Limited on 29 April 2024 and related specifically to the beach manholes and trenching works. The survey, undertaken on 28 June 2024, covered residents of Sanasana Village and stall operators at Natadola Beach. Fifty households were visited and 28 were interviewed; the remaining 22 were unwilling to respond. Four of the households interviewed opposed the proposal, citing adverse impacts on their surroundings, on tourist activity in the area, and on their income from selling to visitors. The other respondents did not object, provided their businesses were not affected.
The Department subsequently identified concerns regarding the adequacy of the consultation process and requested additional engagement with affected stakeholders, including Vanua Naholo, the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources, the iTaukei Land Trust Board and the Nadroga Provincial Office. This consultation was facilitated through the Nadroga Provincial Office on 6 February 2025. During the consultation, further information was requested on the marine coastal assessment and the lease arrangements. The Department relayed this request to the EMP consultant and the project proponent.
As a result, the Department declined the EMP application for the beach manholes and trenching of conduits on 5 February 2025 on the grounds of community concerns and objections, as well as insufficient social survey and public consultation information. The Department advised the proponent that these matters must be satisfactorily addressed before further consideration can be given to the application.
The Ministry notes public concern about water consumption, raised by reference to international reporting on data centres. The development assessed by the Department is a cable landing development comprising a landing station facility, beach manholes and conduits, and a marine subsea cable landing. It has neither been applied for nor assessed as a hyperscale data center, and the water consumption figures reported internationally for large data centres are not applicable to it. The development is similar to the facility operated by Fiji International Telecommunications Ltd (FINTEL) at Vatuwaqa, Suva, which hosts major systems such as Southern Cross NEXT and Gondwana 2. In January 2025, Google’s Bulikula and Tabua undersea telecommunications cables were also landed at that facility.
The Ministry is aware of concerns regarding activities that may be taking place within the project area. In accordance with its regulatory responsibilities under the Environment Management Act 2005 (as amended), the Ministry is prepared to undertake a compliance inspection to verify activities on the ground and determine whether all environmental approvals, approval conditions and legal requirements are being complied with.
The Ministry remains committed to ensuring that development proposals are assessed transparently and responsibly, with due consideration given to community concerns, environmental protection, and compliance with Fiji’s environmental laws and regulations.
