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A Vessel Monitoring Programme for all commercially licensed fishing vessels is now in place; 156 vessels are monitored by MoFA and the Maldives Coast Guard. Vessel Locating Devices are to be installed in all fishing vessels by mid-2016. The number of apprehensions by the Maldives Coast Guard due to illegal fishing over the last few years has dropped significantly as many Maldivian vessels now venture 150–180 NM offshore and the number of reported sightings of foreign fishing vessels has dropped. MoFA has carried out internal investigations and has taken action against infringements by 5 local vessels in 2014.

In 2014, Maldives replaced all direct fisheries subsidies with a contribution-based insurance scheme which guarantees a minimum income level of Rf 10,000 during the low season. Fuel subsidies, introduced in 2009 in response to the hike in global oil prices, in the form of direct payments, were provided to fishermen until 2013; no such subsidies were paid in 2011. The 2012 and 2013 subsidies had not been reserved exclusively for fuel; funding was set aside for measures to encourage investment in ice plants (section 4.2.1.3.2) – for which there was apparently a high demand, as well as in on-board ice making facilities and the conversion of bigger fishing vessels to engage in longline fishing. In 2013, Rf 50 million in fisheries subsidies was directly allocated on the basis of the engine horsepower of the vessels; another Rf 25 million was to be used to install fish aggregating devices, Rf 23 million for the setting up of ice plants and freezing mechanisms, and Rf 1 million to determine fishing grounds via satellite imagery. The authorities consider that the magnitude of the subsidies provided to fishing is relatively insignificant.

(...) . Climatic risks to the agriculture sector are exacerbated by limited cultivable land (27 km2), low elevation (80% of total land area is less than 1 meter above mean sea level), poor soil quality, and scarce water resources. (...)

Maldives' 2010 energy policy objectives consisted of: providing access to an affordable and reliable supply of electricity; achieving carbon neutrality in the energy sector by 2020; promoting energy conservation and efficiency; increasing national energy security; promoting renewable energy technologies, strengthening the management capacity of the energy sector; adopting an appropriate pricing policy; ensuring customer protection; and enhancing the quality of energy services. The energy strategic action plan for 2014–2017 is being formulated and several of the key priorities are expected to remain the same; it was expected to be published in October 2015. According to the Asian Development Bank, the energy sector faces several constraints including inadequate financing for energy-sector investments, limited sector-level planning, low levels of energy efficiency, and barriers to renewable energy investment.

Maldives has potential for significant renewable energy (RE) resources, especially solar and some pockets of wind. Use of solar energy has been growing as a result of its popularity and a drop in market prices; it is used in resorts for water heating purposes. Solar photovoltaics (PV) systems are now increasingly used to feed the electricity grids in some islands including the capital Male. As of today, the total installed capacity of solar PV systems is 4 MW. According to the Asian Development Bank, barriers to RE development include: the absence of an adequate institutional framework for implementation and monitoring; the lack of standardized instruments to support investments, including tariff schemes and power purchase agreements; and, the lack of availability of capital linked to investment risk perceptions. An increased share of renewable energy will help reduce reliance on oil imports, reduce the pressure on the balance of payments, improve Maldives' fiscal position, and contribute to enhancing energy security.

Action was taken to promote RE in Maldives. The Government has set import duties for RE related products to zero, and is formulating policies and regulations to promote renewable energy integration. In addition, research on feasible alternative energy sources is to be undertaken. In 2012, Maldives formulated a medium-term investment plan to scale up renewable energy investments (including large-scale renewable energy development) to meet the rising demand for electricity and to increase national energy security. The Investment Plan is designed to include investments from both the public and private sector. Whilst the public sector component will be achieved through grant assistance and loans (currently pending), specific mechanisms (e.g. investment guarantees for payment of electricity sold) have been developed to leverage finances for RE investments from the private sector. The first programme of the Investment Plan, Preparing Outer Islands for Sustainable Energy Development (POISED), is administered by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and is mainly focused on public sector investments; its key focus is to rehabilitate existing power systems in the islands and install about 21MW of RE. Under this programme, procurement of 2.5 MW of solar PVs and the rehabilitation of power systems in 5 islands was initiated in February 2015. The second programme of the Investment Plan, Accelerating Sustainable Private Investments in Renewable Energy (ASPIRE) is administered by the World Bank; it is focused on creating project structures conducive to private-sector participation, with appropriate project frameworks and agreements for making the project bankable and attractive for private entities, and with the aim of installing a total of 20 MW of solar PVs. The first project under the ASPIRE programme aims to install 4 MW of solar PVs in Male and Hulhumale in 2015 on a "design, build, finance, own, operate, and transfer" basis.

As of 2012, RE [renewable energy] initiatives included: a contract to connect the main islands in the Male area with a 132kV link, coupled to a 20MW wind farm and a gas back‐up power station; a 3.7 MW waste to energy project for Thilafushi; introducing a low level of solar PVs 200 kW (about 30% of peak load) on Thinadhoo; and, a possible substantial solar roof programme on the new warehouses proposed for Thilafushi. Most RE energy projects were held up as a result of poor contracts, lack of guarantees by central government, or poor understanding by utilities of how to enter and manage such contracts. In September 2014, the ADB approved a US$50 million grant in support of renewable energy initiatives that form part of a larger US$124 million project co-financed by the European Investment Bank and the Islamic Development Bank for Maldives to lower its dependence on fossil fuels by 2019, as well as to reduce energy sector subsidies.

In 2014, a government taskforce identified significant potential for supply- and demand-side energy efficiency through measures such as development of equipment codes and standards, measures for public buildings, and generator upgrades. As of end-October 2015 the authorities had undertaken only sensitization campaigns, and they were working on an energy rating and labelling system for electrical appliances as well as the replacement of incandescent with candescent lamps.

(...) As of 2014, the Government, based on past seismic data, envisaged embarking on ambitious oil and gas exploration in Maldives with the support of global leaders.[44]

[44] Oil exploration vessels use seismic airguns to explore oil fields under the seabed. The airguns' sound waves are among the most intensive and loudest noises mankind is capable of producing, and can be deadly for marine animals. Oil exploration activities as well as planned test drillings pose a serious threat to the local ecosystems. Oceancare online information. Viewed at: http://www.oceancare.org/en/silentoceans/actions/maldives/?131/Oil-development-off-the-Maldives-19-NGOs-file-Statement-of-Concern.

Fuel is priced based on its international market price at the time of purchase (Mean of Platts of Singapore). Fuel price subsidies have been provided in fisheries and power production (sections 4.2.1.3 and 4.4.1).