A recent informative meeting held at the English River community centre was attended by Philippe Morin, principal secretary for transport and energy, and Andrew Jean-Louis, chief executive of the Seychelles Energy Commission.

A presentation was given by Masdar, the Abu Dhabi-based alternative energy company that will fund the project, which is expected to cost some US $20 million.

The project, discussed between President James Michel and leaders of the United Arab Emirates, aims to make Seychelles less dependent on diesel-powered generators.

Eight wind turbines are to be involved – three on Ile du Port and five on Ile Romainville. They will harness the power of the wind and use it to generate electricty.

The hub height of the turbines will be 68 metres at Ile du Port and 50 metres at Romainville, but the blades will bring the heights to 96 metres and 78.5 metres respectively. The blades are forced round by the wind, which drives the turbines to generate electricity.

During the south-east monsoon – from May to September – wind speed is an average six metres per second. This comes down to three metres/second during the north-west season, though it is not unknown for it to reach 10 metres/second in December. The turbines have mechanisms to reduce speed when the wind velocity is too high.

Noise made by the turbines when the wind speed is high will be kept to a minimum and never allowed to go above the statutory limits.

The short distance from the turbines to the Victoria power station will make connection by high-voltage cable to the grid easier and cheaper.

At the meeting, it was said that wind has been found to be the new energy source best adapted to conditions in Seychelles. The other possibilities are biomass, solar, wave and tidal energy.

Mr Morin said the yearly demand for electricity in Seychelles is now 390 million KW/h. The turbines are expected to supply about nine million KW/h.

It was also explained at the meeting that three other sites were looked at but found unsuitable for the windfarm project – Anse Soleil, Sans Souci and La Misère. Though higher wind turbines could have been built in those places, which could have doubled capacity, there were major difficulties.

The distances involved would make connection to the central grid both difficult and expensive. There are also environmental concerns and hazards to wildlife to consider.

In the end, the inner harbour was found to be most suitable. However, the fact that it is just below the flight path to the airport means the turbines will have to be restricted to a certain height.

By John Lablache