Seychelles to build solid waste-to-energy project in Mahé

The government of Seychelles has announced plans to construct a solid waste-to-energy project on Mahé, the main island of the Seychelles archipelago.

The country’s Minister for the Environment, Flavien Joubert revealed the plans and said the project, still in its preparation phase. Phase 1 of the project, which will involve a site visit, will last a maximum of eight months.

Phase 2 of the project, on the other hand which includes the recruitment of a private company, will take 18 months. The implementation process will follow. For this project, Seychelles is being supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group’s private sector financing arm.

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Energy recovery

“We will help the Seychelles government find a way to involve the private sector in determining the most cost-effective solution for waste management in the country,” says Bernard Atlan, IFC’s investment officer.

Seychelles produces an average of 95,000 tonnes of waste per year, which is stored in several landfills, including those in Praslin and La Digue. According to the Minister, Flavien Joubert, approximately 50,000 tonnes of waste will be recovered for energy recovery. The project will also reduce the amount of solid waste going to landfill in the archipelago by 80% and reduce the risk of fire at these sites.

“When you use electricity produced from waste, you eliminate everything that is a problem for us today, such as wood, tyres and plastic, which are very risky and cause the spread and aggravation of fires,” explains Flavien Joubert.