Small businesses in Vaitele were impacted by the recent power rationing that happened last week and the power outages on Tuesday morning. 

The Electric Power Corporation has attributed the power outages to ongoing maintenance at the Fiaga Power Plant and technical faults at Taelefaga.

Asotolu Matulino, a 44-year-old salon owner from Vaiusu, is concerned because her business relies on electricity. 

“When the power is off, there are no customers and there’s nothing that can be done, then we would have to close up early and go back home,” she said. 

“The equipment that I need to use needs power. If there is no power, there is no money earned, and I need to pay for the rent too.”

 Matulino added that she has no backup plan during outages but believes a shared generator in the area would help. She also mentioned contacting authorities about a scheme for those affected by the outages, but has yet to receive any updates. Having worked in salons for years, she now runs her own business alone, offering salon and massage services. She noted that business was good during the holiday season when she first opened her doors.

Vitolia Stowers, 41, from Leauvaa, has worked at Vaitele Laundromat for over 10 years and expressed frustration over ongoing power rationing. 

“In my point of view, the power shouldn’t be going off anymore, as it damages the equipment of those businesses, as they said they have rented new generators,” she said. 

“But the power rationing has been happening again since last week, and now today, our week has just started.” 

Stowers shared that due to frequent outages last week, she had to close early around 1 pm with no work possible. She said during long outages, she calls customers to pick up unwashed laundry, as on Tuesday, when the power was off, and she lost several customers. 

“The bad side of it all is that outages damage our equipment,” she said. One machine was damaged, and although a repair scheme was available, the business chose to repair it themselves due to the delays. 

Faaululuga Filomina, 44, from Leauvaa and owner of Peata Creations, is among the many business owners affected by recent power issues in Vaitele. 

“Last week it was almost three days, the power was on and off and now this morning,” she said.  Filomina contacted EPC when the power went out but was told they had no idea why, despite her having many sewing orders to complete.  

“Once the power is off and comes back again, my sewing machine stops working and that is another bigger problem,” she said, noting both of her machines have been damaged due to the outages. 

She explained that without power, there is nothing they can do. Having been in business for almost nine years, Filomina said workers used to warn them before outages, but now there’s no notice. She added it would be easier to manage if the power cuts happened at night when no one was working.