Seychelles is on track to be home to the continent’s first utility-scale floating solar PV plant.
In 2018, the Seychelles Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change and the Seychelles Energy Commission launched a tender process for the facility, which will be funded by the private sector. The project is supported by the Clinton Foundation and the African Legal Support Facility, and forms part of the country’s goal of making renewables a significant part of its energy mix.
‘It will be one of the first salt-water floating solar PV plants in the world,’ the department states on its website. ‘Marine floating PV technology has significant implications for island nations and other land-scarce regions that aim to utilise renewable energy. This project aims to reduce Seychelles’ reliance on imported diesel fuel, and instead harness affordable, clean and local energy resources.’
Sited on Mahé’s Providence lagoon, the installation will have an estimated annual capacity of around 4 MW, which will be sold to the Public Utilities Corporation at a fixed tariff under a 25-year power purchase agreement. As reported by All Africa, power from the project is expected to equate to 1.6% of Seychelles’ energy target set for 2030.
The final bidder will be chosen by November this year, and construction is expected to be completed in 2020.
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