Construction of Providence floating solar power plant in Seychelles is set to commence in July this year. French Independent Power Producer (IPP) Qair (formerly Quadran International), the project developers made the announcement.
The floating photovoltaic (PV) plant will be located on Mahe island. Covering an area of 40,000 sq m of water, the facility will consist of around 13,500 PV modules whose output will account for 2% of Seychelles’ national power production.
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World’s biggest seawater floating solar system
Quadran, and Seychelles solar company VetiverTech won the project in a tender launched in 2018. Upon completion, the solar plant is expected to produce 5.8MW of power. It will also avoid the emission of 157,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
The power plant will also be the world’s biggest seawater floating solar system and the first one of its kind in Africa, once completed. Its output is planned to be purchased by the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).
Electricity for the island nation of Seychelles is primarily produced by diesel generators which must import their fuel (69 MW on Mahe and 12 MW on Praslin). Energy policy calls for 15% renewable by 2030.
Renewable Energy plays an increasingly important role in the Seychelles economy. The overall goal is to not only mitigate climate change but also strengthen our energy security. It is an area which will drive local industries, local and foreign investments as well as create job opportunities. However, given our small size and limited land, RE projects especially of utility-scale will be implemented through a competitive process.
