MAURITIUS: work starts on the Arsenal photovoltaic solar power plant

Mauritius will be getting a new photovoltaic solar power plant in the next few months. Construction work on the Arsenal solar farm was launched recently by its developer, the independent power producer (IPP) GreenYellow. The event was attended by Georges Pierre Lesjongard, Mauritius’ Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, as well as officials from the Central Electricity Board (CEB) and the Commercial Bank of Mauritius (MCB), which is financing the project to the tune of €7.5 million.

The solar power plant is being built on a 15-hectare site at Arsenal in the north of the island off the coast of East Africa. According to GreenYellow, the plant, which will have a capacity of 10 MWp, will be capable of supplying 22 GWh of electricity a year to the CEB. According to the subsidiary of French group Casino, the Arsenal solar power plant will help to diversify Mauritius’s electricity mix.

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“Our country has made international commitments to reduce our carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. The transition to clean energy is essential if we are to achieve climate neutrality by 2030, and this transition offers great opportunities for economic growth. Our ambition to create a green industry as announced in the 2021-2022 budget is well on track,” said Minister Georges Pierre Lesjongard, in his speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Arsenal solar power plant.

Maurce currently has an installed capacity of 876 MW, of which 498 MW is produced by the CEB and the rest by independent power producers (IPPs). Most of the electricity consumed in Mauritius is generated by oil- and coal-fired power stations, according to the CEB. The country also has hydroelectric facilities capable of producing 60 MW, or 4% of its electricity mix.

Jean Marie Takouleu