Africa-Press – Mauritius. The renewable energy sector has a large potential to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. It is with this objective that the establishment of the green energy industry as an economic pillar of activity is high on the agenda of the Government.
The Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Mr Georges Pierre Lesjongard, made this statement, at the opening of a National Validation Workshop on the Feasibility Study for the development of Ocean Renewable (Offshore Wind), organised today, at the Ravenala Attitude Hotel in Balaclava.
The United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator to Mauritius and Seychelles, Miss Lisa Simrique Singh, and representatives from namely, the Mauritius Renewable Energy Agency and the United Nations Environment Programme were also present on the occasion.
Minister Lesjongard indicated that Small Island Developing States face several challenges by virtue of their size and remoteness from international markets and supply chains.
Nonetheless, they are also naturally endowed with renewable sources of energy such as the wind, sun, ocean, wave, and hydro, providing them with unique opportunities to move towards greener energy, he remarked.
The pre-feasibility study on the offshore wind has been initiated in Mauritius as the country is currently focusing on the potential of ocean energy, namely: ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), tidal energy, wave energy, above sea level and below sea level, current energy, floating PV, and production of green hydrogen, he observed.
This study, Mr Lesjongard underpinned, is a stepping-stone towards exploiting the ocean renewables which might be a game changer for an island state like Mauritius, with limited land resources.
“I am confident that the study will provide important information to guide us in the implementation of such a large-scale project,” he stated.
According to the RE Roadmap 2030, for the electricity sector to accelerate the ongoing energy transition, a total of 50-MegaWatt offshore wind is being planned for implementation from 2026 to 2030, the Minister highlighted.
“Mauritius has significant potential for offshore wind and marine renewables due to its Exclusive Economic Zone of 2.3 million square kilometers, one of the world’s largest continental shelves,” he said.
In addition, the Energy Minister remarked that the purpose of today’s meeting was to take stock of concerned consultants’ findings and recommendations on the feasibility of deploying offshore wind.
He thereby encouraged participants to bring their contribution to the green energy transition so as to successfully meet the national and global clean energy targets while effectively addressing climate change challenges.
For her part, Miss Simrique Singh stressed the importance of this project, funded under the Joint Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Fund. This workshop, she indicated, will contribute significantly to the advancement of the SDGs namely SDG 7 – Clean and Affordable Energy in Mauritius.
She underlined that with regard to the recent global shocks impacting development progress, it is encouraging to see that Mauritius has made considerable efforts in achieving the targets of SDG7.
“The commitment by the Mauritian Government to advance towards meeting its carbon emission reduction targets can be used as a great example at the forthcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28), to countries around the world if we are to avoid climate catastrophe,” the UN Resident Coordinator pointed out.
Besides focusing on the technical and economic benefits of offshore wind, Miss Simrique Singh appealed to the participants to delve into the ecological and social impacts of such an initiative.
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