MAURITIUS: POWER NEEDS BLOWIN IN THE WIND?

UNCLAS PORT LOUIS 000056 DEPT FOR OES ADDIS ABABA FOR REO KIRSTEN BAUMAN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ENRG SENV MP SUBJECT: MAURITIUS: POWER NEEDS BLOWIN IN THE WIND? ¶1. Summary: Mauritius opened its first substantial wind turbine farm on January 11, at Point Grenade on the eastern coast of Rodrigues Island. The wind farm already is producing 3.7 percent of the tiny island dependency's electricity needs. End Summary. ¶2. The Mauritius Central Electricity Board (CEB) constructed two giant, collapsible 2.7 kilowatt per hour (kwph) wind turbines and transformer facilities at Point Grenade on the eastern coast of Rodrigues Island and connected them to the island's electrical grid. The 109 square kilometer island emerges on a volcanic ridge at the very center of the Indian Ocean, 560km east of the Mauritius main island. Point Grenade is a remote, arid, massif overlooking the Indian Ocean and the nearby Rodrigues Triple Point - an undersea tectonic fissure where the African, Indo-Australian and Antarctic plates move apart from each other. Average wind speeds here are 18kmph. The generation capacity of the wind turbines, which already provide 3.7 percent of Rodrigues energy needs, is set to double in August when two more, identical, turbines will be installed. ¶3. Embassy ESTH officer visited the project and met with Central Electricity Board (CEB)Chief Engineer Navraj Rogbeer on January 20. Preliminary CEB plans call for a total of eight turbines to be installed at Point Grenade by 2011. The combined output would provide approximately 15 percent of Rodrigues' electricity. By 2025, Rogbeer said CEB's goal is to obtain 35 percent of the island's electricity from renewable resources. Rodrigues' wind turbines are built by the Vernier Company of France and can withstand 75kmph winds. Cyclones frequently batter Rodrigues, so the wind turbines at Point Grenade are designed to be collapsed and disassembled in 90 minutes. The Mauritius CEB began experimenting with wind turbines on Rodrigues 25 years ago, but cyclones destroyed several wind turbines at two of the island's wind farms shortly after installation. Three smaller wind turbines at Point Trefles remained intact, however, and continue to produce one percent of Rodrigues'electricity. ¶4. The Rodrigues Regional Assembly has published an energy strategy paper with ambitious plans to achieve energy self sufficiency on the island by 2020 using 100 percent renewable resources including wind turbines, solar panels, biomass and generating electricity from ocean swells. However, Rogbeer said that with the exception of the wind turbines, and installation of solar collectors for water heating, most of Rodrigues' renewable energy options are not affordable for the tiny island population of 40000. ¶5. Site preparation and installation of the two new wind turbines at Point Grenade cost approximately 1 million euros and will require nine years of electrical generation to recover investment. Expected life span for the machines, given frequent extreme winds, is only 12 years. Most profit from wind generation on the island will come from the potential for carbon offsets, Rogbeer said. ¶6. The CEB will also install two additional 2.7kwph wind turbines at a site near Curepipe on the main island of Mauritius in August. ¶7. Comment: The substantial investment in the wind farm at Point Grenade, Rodrigues Island, is one more indication that the Mauritius government is serious about developing renewable energy. While Mauritius is only beginning to generate electricity from wind, its recent investment already contributes to a significant portion of the Rodrigues Island dependency's electricity needs. On the main island, Mauritius has invested heavily in renewable energy sources. Since 2007, Mauritius generates between 21-23 percent of annual electrical production from hydro sources and bagasse, a by-product of sugar cane. Based on past performance, it appears that the GOM will continue to invest in renewable energy, including wind energy, when feasible. Wills