Located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean, Kiribati is one of the least developed countries in the world and it often benefits from international development assistance programs. People who would want to visit the country and spend some time there should be prepared with the standard voltage, electrical outlet and plug type, as well as the adapters or voltage converters a visitor might need in his or her stay in Kiribati.

Also, in Kiribati, the standard voltage used by appliances and electronic gadgets is 220-240 volts while the primary electrical outlet type is the Type I Australian AS-3112. If ever a person staying in Kiribati would want to use appliances or electronic gadgets that have a 110-120 volts, a plug adapter and a step-down transformer would be needed.

An adapter is often used when the shape of the plug of the appliance or electronic gadget or appliance is not compatible with the shape of the electrical outlet present in Kiribati. There are different kinds of adapters for a particular type of plug, however, there are also universal adapters that could work well with almost any type of plug or electrical outlet, in Kiribati or even in other country. When using smaller electronic gadgets or appliances like hair curlers hair dryers, or hair irons, a person in Kiribati would need a plug adapter and a voltage converter.

Type I Australian AS-3112 Adapter, Plug, and Electrical Outlet

Type I nongrounded

The Type I Australian AS-3112 is the standard in most houses in Kiribati and it is also slightly similar to the Chinese CPCS-CCC and the Argentine IRAM electrical outlet. These three sockets are interchangeable and are classified under the unofficial “Type I” category.The Type I Australian AS-3112 electrical outlet and plug is also commonly used in Kiribati and other countries in the Pacific area.  This plug in Kiribati features a grounding pin and two flat prongs that form a V-shape. Moreover, the receptacle end of this Type I Australian AS-3112 can accept any standard household plug type in Kiribati except the Type M South African SABS1661, also known as the Old British BS-546 Large plug.

Type I grounded

The blade contacts of the Type I Australia AS-3112 are 6.5 x 1.6mm with a phase and neutral blade angled at 30 degrees to vertical at a nominal pitch of 13.7mm. This standard plug of Kiribati is also polarized and grounded. However, there is also an ungrounded version of the Type I plug that only has two flat V-shaped prongs, but the electrical outlet is always three-pinned. The Type I plug has other variants that include 15 A, 20 A, 25 A, and 32 A. Most of the time, during travels, people carry with them their laptop computers, cameras, mobile phones, and mp3 players. Aside from Kiribati, other countries that use the Type I Australian AS-3112 are Argentina, China (mainland except Taiwan), Papua New Guinea, Uruguay, Fiji, and Tokelau (the Union Islands). The batteries of all these must be charged through an electrical outlet and when the plugs do not match, an adapter that is compatible with the Type I outlet must be used.

Type I adapter

Type I outlet

Voltage Converters

Voltage Converter

Most appliances and electronic gadgets made in the United States of America (USA) have a voltage of 110-120 and using it directly on a 220-240-volt electrical outlet in Kiribati would cause damage to the appliance or electronic gadget, to the extent that it might be totally fried out or  might even cause a fire. If a tourist wants to use his or her gadget in Kiribati, the best way is by using voltage converters such as resistor-network converters, transformers, and in some cases the combination of both. These voltage converters and adapters will be very handy if a tourist would plan a trip to Kiribati and intends to bring along some gadgets that require a particular voltage. There is a switch that enables the changing of modes from resistor-network converter to transformer, depending on the tourist’s needs in Kiribati.

Transformer

The resistor-network converters to be used in Kiribati are usually advertised to support as much as 50-1600 watts and are just ideal to use for short periods of time. The resistor-network converter is also not recommended for digital devices like laptop computers however it is great for lightweight electronics like hair dryers and irons. If a tourist would want to use a laptop computer or charge batteries for camera, mp3 players, camcorders, and radios in Kiribati, the ideal voltage converter is a transformer which lowers maximum watt rating. It could be used for long periods of time but is a little bit heavy because of the large iron rods and copper wires. The last kind of voltage converter in order to use electronics in Kiribati that are not compatible with the electrical outlet present in Kiribati is the combination of resistor-network converters and transformer. There are certain adapters that would fit particular plugs and these could be bought in hardware stores or electrical outlets in Kiribati or before heading there.