Following the signing of three project-related agreements on Tuesday, work on a floating solar farm in the Seychelles is anticipated to start this year. Once completed, Seychelles will have the world’s largest salt-water floating solar plant.
A 5-megawatt photovoltaic system will be installed in the lagoon at Providence, on the eastern coast of Mahe, as part of the seven-year-old project, which will assist Seychelles in achieving its zero-emissions goal.
In a ceremony held on board the Energy Observer, a floating solar laboratory and recognized partner of the French renewable energy business Qair, the project agreements were signed.
In actuality, of the three agreements inked, two were between the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) and Qair—a power purchase deal and a grid connection agreement—and one was between the Seychelles government and Qair for government backing on the project.
“The government is determined to ensure energy security through the best investments and with the use of renewable energy in Seychelles,” said the Minister for Agriculture, Climate Change and Energy, Flavien Joubert, in his speech after the signing of the agreements.
He added that “just seven months separate us from this agreement and having a plant in operation in Seychelles.”
The regional director of Qair, Olivier Gaering, said that despite the many international issues that threatened the project, it is great that it finally reached this point.
“Qair started looking into the Seychelles market back in 2015, seven years ago and I am very happy that we have managed to get these agreements signed so that we can move forward with the first independent power production project in Seychelles,” said Gaering.
Seychelles to Build World’s Largest Salt-Water Floating Solar Plant
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