Maurice Ile Durable
Mauritius has only recently started its campaign for developing a sustainable economy. In any sustainable economy, power is a major hurdle to tackle. Out of the total primary energy requirement in 2009, imported fuels accounted for 83% while the local available sources that are renewables supplied the remaining 17%. The government is aware that the Mauritian economy is heavily dependent on external factors which can undermine its growth. Supply, demand, geopolitical risks and security issues are all influencing factors of oil price. Mauritian government has therefore set a target under the MID project to have 65% autonomy by 2028 in terms of power production.
Under the MID fund, the government has already made several steps in promoting renewable energy. In 2009, grants and soft loans for purchasing solar thermal systems were given for 25, 000 households and 500,000 energy saving lamps has been sold at a subsidized rate. Road lightning and traffic lights are being replaced by efficient systems. Under the same fund, a new project is on tender stage for installation of solar water heaters in all public hospitals.
The next step under the MID fund is to enable small power producers (IPP) to integrate the power generation system.