The Saint Louis Power Station Redevelopment project at Plaine Lauzun was inaugurated yesterday by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Mr Ivan Collendavelloo. Members of National Assembly, the Deputy Director General of the African Development Bank, Mrs Josephine Ngure, and other personalities were present on that occasion.
The St Louis Power Station redevelopment project, to the tune of Rs 4.2 billion and completed within 18 months, consists of the construction of a new powerhouse for the installation of four Heavy Fuel Oil diesel generating sets of a total capacity of 67.2 MW. The project also comprises a 66kV gas-insulated substation, a tank farm of two heavy fuel oil storage tanks and a fuel oil treatment plant. The plant is equipped with modern features optimised for low noise and air emissions, waste heat recuperation and waste incinerations, amongst others.
In his address the Deputy Prime Minister said that the redevelopment project is an example of the good work being carried out by Government in different sectors such as energy, transport and public infrastructure. He recalled that the initial agreement with the African Development Bank, the funding agency, was for an original funding of Rs 3.7 billion but as all works went according to plan and all targets were met, Rs 700 million were not required. The Central Electricity Board (CEB) invested Rs 1.2 billion from its own fund for the project, he added.
Speaking about future projects, Mr Collendavelloo underscored that the CEB will consider using liquefied natural gas for electricity generation. Other projects include the waste to energy project, whereby municipal waste will be used to produce energy and electricity, and investing in solar energy.
For her part, Mrs Ngure pointed out that the redevelopment project is very much aligned with the country’s vision 2030 and Government’s programme for 2015 to 2019. According to her, the project has been implemented in the context of the African Development Bank strategy for Mauritius for 2014 to 2018, which focusses on supporting the country through two complementary pillars: infrastructure development and public-private partnerships; and skills and technology development.
She expressed her satisfaction that the completion of this project is one of the milestones in the implementation of the African Development Bank’s partnership with the Mauritius Government, which aims to ensure that the people have access to a reliable source of electricity in an environmentally sustainable way.
Source: Government of Mauritius