Floating solar system a first

KEY agreements for the construction of Africa’s first utility-scale floating solar photovoltaic (PV) system in Seychelles are expected to be signed at the end of the first quarter of this year, said the Seychelles Energy Commission in a press communiqué yesterday.

Once the power purchase and government support agreements are signed, construction will start for the about four-megawatt power plant in the Providence lagoon on Mahe, the main island. The plant is expected to provide affordable and clean power to the national grid.

Bidders submitted financial proposals with a bid for the tariff in US dollars per kilowatt hours at which they would supply electricity to the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) through a 25-year power purchase agreement.

Quadran was the best-evaluated bidder for the project at $9.5 cents per kilowatt-hours, which represents a significant financial saving compared to the current cost of producing electricity in Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.

In a previous interview with SNA, the chief executive of the commission, Tony Imaduwa, said the project was “expected to contribute about 5.8 gigawatt hours annually”.

“This new initiative will also contribute to a reduction in fossil fuel importation which translates to savings in foreign exchange for the country.”

The energy from the new project is expected to equate to 1.6% of the Seychelles’ energy target set for 2030.