Bioenergy may play a big role in Seychelles’ renewable energy mix |04 April 2019

Seychelles wants to reduce its carbon footprint, diversify its energy portfolio and promote renewable energy

A new project on bioenergy assessment and capacity building was launched yesterday.

This was during an awareness and education session to acquaint stakeholders, partners, potential experts and consultants in the energy sector with the project and its various components.

The lead technical officer of the project division from Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Irini Maltsoglou and Luis Ricon, an international consultant, coordinated the workshop which was launched by the principal secretary for agriculture, Antoine Marie Moustache.

The project will be carried out over a period of about two years in the framework of the technical cooperation programme (TCP) between government and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). It aims to analyse and identify potential bioenergy feedstock and technologies that can be developed in Seychelles for sustainable bioenergy production.

The bioenergy project will use stand-alone power system (SAPS) intended for rural electrification and medium/large scale combined heat and power (CHP) systems. In addition, the TCP will also provide capacity building on the use of Bioenergy and Food Security (BEFS)tools to key stakeholders involved in the bioenergy sector and in the formulation of a biomass energy strategy to support the development of a sustainable bioenergy sector in the country.  

According to the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, “Seychelles is highly dependent on imported fossil fuels to satisfy its energy needs. The majority of the energy used in the country is supplied by fossil fuels at 98 percent, whilst the remaining comes from wind, solar and biomass. Domestic energy consumption is dominated by the transport sector which consumes 48 percent of the total, followed by the services sector 21 percent, the industrial sector 17 percent and residential sector 14 percent. The import of oil products remains a heavy burden on domestic accounts that puts Seychelles in a situation of risk and vulnerability to global shocks.”

Having recognised the challenges involved, the government of Seychelles is interested in decreasing its dependence on imported oil products. In line with this, the Seychelles Energy Policy 2010-2030 envisages to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and by increasing the share of renewable energy in the electricity matrix to 5 percent by 2020 and 15 percent by 2030. In this framework, bioenergy may play a role in the renewable energy mix of Seychelles.

Bioenergy, and particularly liquid biofuels, have been promoted as a means to enhance energy independence, promote development and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Bioenergy potentially offers many advantages. Firstly, bioenergy developments offer the opportunity for enhanced energy security and access by reducing the dependence on fossil fuels and providing a localised solution. Increased energy security in turn can have positive effects on food security.

Secondly, a bioenergy sector can create a new market for producers as well as offer new forms of employment that will positively affect agricultural and incomes, poverty reduction and economic growth.

Thirdly, bioenergy has the potential to contribute to environmental objectives including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Not surprisingly, bioenergy has been placed high on the policy agenda of developing countries.

The BEFS approach has been developed by the FAO to support countries in designing and implementing sustainable bioenergy policies and strategies. Following the FAO, “the approach promotes food and energy security and contributes to agricultural and development. It consists of tools and guidance to support countries through the main stages of the bioenergy policy development and implementation process.”

Residues from the agriculture and agro-processing sectors may have the potential to be used for energy production in Seychelles, but the country must develop a sustainable bioenergy that integrates food security and agriculture needs into its development.