The Mauritius Ministry of Energy and Utilities announced plans to add 405MW of renewable energy and energy storage capacity to the national grid over the next three years. With solar at its core, the plan aims to address energy supply risks caused by recent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and enhance the country’s energy resilience.
The urgency of this energy expansion plan stems from the threat to energy supply that Mauritius is facing. According to reports, due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the Middle East crisis and the soaring oil prices, Mauritius tried to purchase heavy fuel oil (HFO) from India to support the operation of its power station, but failed because the specifications did not meet the requirements. In the face of potential power shortages, the Government of Mauritius has decided to reduce its dependence on external fossil fuels by accelerating the deployment of renewable energy.
Solar will occupy the core position of new power capacity, covering surface photovoltaic, agricultural light complementary and distributed power generation. Key projects include the construction of a surface photovoltaic power plant with a capacity of 17.5MW to 20MW at the Falls Reservoir in Tamarind, which will be completed through an intergovernmental agreement in cooperation with Indian state-owned Indian National Thermal Power Group (NTPC). In addition, the government will expand the “agricultural and optical complementary plan”, has approved 18 related projects; the wind power sector will also expand the capacity of 15MW to 20MW.
Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are listed as a priority for this expansion. Energy Minister Patrick Gervais Assirvaden stressed that the government will give priority to supporting projects equipped with energy storage systems to ensure that electricity is not wasted and maintain grid stability. Specific plans include: installing 20MW of energy storage by July 2026 to meet the evening peak demand from 18:00 to 21:00; In addition, the hybrid solar plus energy storage project will contribute about 120MW of photovoltaic and 100MW of energy storage capacity.
In the distributed field, Mauritius plans to install 100,000 solar kits for home users with the support of the Indian government and liberalize the access restrictions for residential photovoltaic systems below 10 kW. For the industrial and commercial sector, the government will implement a “carbon neutral plan” to promote shopping malls and large enterprises to build 20MW rooftop photovoltaic and solar garages. At the same time, the government has further opened up the power sector to private investors through the Stor’Sun initiative, and three private hybrid projects totaling 30MW are expected to be implemented in September this year.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), by the end of 2025, the total installed capacity of renewable energy in Mauritius is 318MW (of which 155MW of photovoltaics). Mauritius has set ambitious targets to increase the share of renewables in its electricity mix from 23.9 per cent by 2020 to 60 per cent by 2035. The Minister Assirvaden said that this 405MW plan will be a key building block for the country’s resilient and sustainable future.
