Africa-Press – Mauritius. Government is committed in making the green energy a new pillar of the economy and no efforts will be spared to mobilise the required resources and work in collaboration with all stakeholders to bring about the transition, said the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Mr Georges Pierre Lesjongard, this afternoon, at Hennessy Park Hotel, in Ebène.
He was speaking at the Vivo Energy Forum 2021 which brought together several stakeholders to partake in discussions on the theme ‘Managing the risks and challenges in the energy sector’.
Mr Matthias de Larminat, Managing Director of Vivo Energy Mauritius, and key partners from Business Mauritius, the Economic Development Board, MCB Ltd, Lux Collective, and other personalities were present.
The Minister, in his keynote speech, called for a change in mindset at society and corporate levels and reiterated that the status quo is not an option and operators should adapt.
For him, there are some major challenges looming ahead and that the road to energy transition will not be an easy one and it is important to build resilience in the relevant domains.
We need to adapt ourselves to the new landscape, to the new normal, and work together for a cleaner, safer and healthier Republic as our fate is common, he emphasised.
According to him, our little island, vulnerable to natural disasters, floods, has strengths in the energy field. First of all, we must have a common will, the government, the population and the private sector, he stressed.
Minister Lesjongard recalled that Mauritius has no natural resources and if it is true that we have no reserve of oil, gas or coal, at the moment, on the other hand we have sources of renewable energy, in particular solar energy, hydroelectric and wind. The objective of establishing the green economy as a new development pole must be shared by private sector operators, he further indicated.
The Government, he pointed out, has created the necessary framework at the level of the various institutions concerned to facilitate the development of this new centre of the economy and has planned investments in the order of Rs 5.3 billion this fiscal year for this new sector.
We also have decided to stop the use of coal for the generation of electricity in 2030, he noted. In addition, the Minister stated that the situation in the world does not augur well in the field of energy.
The prices of oil, coal, gas have constantly increased for some time causing a rise in the cost of energy production. Unfortunately, traders and some producers will increase the prices of gas, coal, and oil as high as possible during this difficult period, he remarked.
Vivo Energy is the company that distributes and markets Shell and Engen branded fuels and lubricants to retail and commercial customers in Africa.
Vivo Energy operates in 23 countries across North, West, East and Southern Africa and has a network of over 2,400 service stations. The company also export lubricants to a number of other African countries.
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