Fiji's interim minister for Public Utilities says when a new dam at Nadarivatu is online, hydro schemes will supply most of the country's electricity.
The project is funded by a loan from the China Development Bank but Timoci Natuva says the only jobs for which Chinese workers will be used are technical positions.
He says the project will create about 300 unskilled jobs for local people.
Mr Natuva says the total cost of the dam will be about 250 million Fiji dollars and would not have been possible without the Chinese loan.
"We had been asking countries for assistance in the last six years but there was nothing forthcoming. We only requested the Chinese last year and the agreement was signed by the end of the year and now the programme is in process"
Timoci Natuva says the dam is expected to be up and running in 2011.
