National Economy
The African country of the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, approximately 500 miles east of Madagascar. The population of the Mauritius is approximately 1.28 million people[1].
In 2022, the Mauritius’s economy was ranked 123rd in the world in gross domestic product (GDP)[2]. The country’s economy is dependent on tourism and the export[3] of processed fish, raw sugar, men’s suits, knit shirts, and diamonds.
Environmental Policies
In 2016, the Mauritius signed the Paris Climate Agreement[4], committing to a 30% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to business as usual emissions of 7 million tons of CO2 equivalent.
Power Generation Capabilities
In 2020, 99.7 % of the people in the Mauritius had access to electricity[5]. In 2021, the state-owned utility, Central Electricity Board (CEB) used refined petroleum (54.2%), coal (24.6%), and renewable energy (21.2%) to generate electricity across the island nation[6]. Biofuel is the dominant type of renewable energy used to generate electricity in Mauritius.
The only recent renewable energy project in Mauritius is as follows:
- 10 MW Solar Tender – In April 2023, government-owned property developer, Landscope Mauritius launched a tender for the design, supply, installation, testing, commissioning, and operation of a 10 MW solar plant on the northwest coast of the island of Mauritius.
Conclusions
Mauritius imports all the nation’s refined petroleum and coal for power generation and transportation. In 2021, the nation imported[7] U.S. $702 Million for refined petroleum and U.S. $171 Million for coal.
On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, prompting the European Union, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand to place economic sanctions on Russian imports and exports. As a result, the crude oil and natural gas prices increased by over 50% from May 2021 to May 2022.
Mauritius had an installed capacity of solar capacity by year-end 2022. The country has significant undeveloped renewable energy resources, including solar, onshore wind, offshore wind, and biomass.
Mauritius uses expensive diesel to fuel generators that provided 54.2% of the nation’s electricity. The government is now seeking low-cost, reliable solar projects to replace increasingly expensive diesel fueled generators. Mauritius is now turning to low-cost reliable renewable energy for the nation’s future power supplies.
Jack Kerfoot
Website – “Our Energy Conundrum”
www.jack kerfoot.com
Jack Kerfoot is a scientist, energy expert, and author of the book FUELING AMERICA, An Insider’s Journey and articles for The Hill, one of the largest independent political news sites in the United States. He has been interviewed on over 100 radio, podcast, and television stations from New York City to Los Angeles discussing a diverse range of energy issues and topics.
[1] Mauritius Population (2023) – April 27, 2023, www.worldometers.info
[2] Gross Domestic Product By Country 2022 – Worldometer
[3] The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) – Mauritius
[4] Carbon Brief “Paris 2015: Tracking Country Climate Pledges”
[5] World Bank, Access To Electricity (% Population) – Mauritius
[6] Our World In Data, Mauritius: Energy Country Profile by Hanna Ritchie and Max Roser
[7] The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) – Mauritius Imports