Successful conclusion of our Project Exploration Trip to the Cook Islands

Seven German technology companies met with key ministries, authorities and operators of critical infrastructure on Rarotonga and Aitutaki to explore opportunities in renewable energy, storage solutions, hydrogen, environmental monitoring and sustainable infrastructure.

The strong engagement from the Office of the Prime Minister, MFEM, CIIC, Ports Authority, Ministry of Health, Te Aponga Uira and the Aitutaki Island Council highlights the growing momentum toward reducing diesel dependency and strengthening energy resilience.

From the site visits and workshops, several priorities emerged:
 

• A defined demand for PV, battery and hydrogen-based long-term energy storage
• Interest in enhanced water and lagoon-quality monitoring, biochar applications and resilient infrastructure
• Numerous promising pilot sites across different sectors
• Strong readiness to move into deeper collaboration and project development.

A big thank you to all partners and stakeholders for their openness, commitment and constructive dialogue.

This trip marks an important step toward jointly developing sustainable, future-proof energy solutions for the Cook Islands and the wider Pacific region.

Under the German Energy Solutions Initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), the German-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce (GNZCC) organized this first German company delegation to the Cook Islands from 1 to 5 December 2025. The mission supported the broader initiative to expand renewable energy and infrastructure across the Cook Islands, with a specific focus on energy systems and e-mobility.

The programme on Rarotonga and Aitutaki included executive roundtables and site visits dedicated to solar PV and hybrid systems, battery storage, mini-grids, hydrogen technologies, biogas and environmental monitoring.