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The Seychelles Government is working to increase the share of renewable energy in the electricity matrix to 5 percent by 2020 and 15 percent by 2030. Could residues from the agriculture and agro-processing sectors, including waste provide an alternative?

While policies are in place and some targets have been set, the evidence to underpin the targets and policies and define the bioenergy share is still limited.

Following a technical consultation earlier in the year on the viability of using bioenergy in the Seychelles, FAO and the Seychelles Government organised a meeting on Mahé, 4-6 September 2019 to plan the next steps.

“Before moving forward we need the evidence” explained Irini Maltsoglou, Natural Resources Officer for FAO, “facts about the amount of biomass that can be sourced sustainably and about the type and quantity of waste generated”.

The government, through the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, requested FAO to provide technical assistance to carry out a Bioenergy and Food Security (BEFS) assessment. Using the BEFS approach FAO will be able to assess the sustainable bioenergy potential in the Seychelles with a focus on the generation of energy from biomass

Among the participants at September’s meeting, there were a number of experts from the Landscape and Waste Management Agency (LWMA), the Tourist sector, the Seychelles Fishing Boat Owners Association, the Seychelles Brewery, the forestry sector and the Seychelles Energy Commission. The Public Utilities Corporation Ltd. who manage sewage treatment plants also attended.

Under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Sustainable Development Goal 7 stresses the need to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and clean energy for all. Modern food systems are heavily dependent on fossil fuels, consuming around 30 percent of the world’s available energy and producing more than 20 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

To deliver more food with less and cleaner energy, food and agriculture systems will gradually need to decouple from fossil fuel dependence and embrace renewable energy sources that reduce impacts on climate change

Turning feedstock and waste into biogas

Ninety-eight percent of energy in the Seychelles comes from fossil fuels and in line with the Seychelles Energy Policy 2010 – 2030; the Government is interested in decreasing its dependence on imported oil products. 

In 2013 alone, around 76 000 tonnes of waste were dumped in the Providence landfill on Mahé, the largest island in the Seychelles. Over 50% of the waste in the landfills of the archipelago is estimated to be organic and this is the organic fraction/biomass that could potentially be used to produce bioenergy.

The Public Utilities Corporation Ltd. suggested that sludge from the treatment plant that is currently deposited in the Providence landfill could be used as a feedstock for anaerobic digestion to produce biogas.

“Managing waste on our islands is a delicate process. Using this waste for other purposes such as energy production could potentially be a win-win solution. Through the project we are looking into whether this can be a real option for the Seychelles”, said Mr. Antoine Moustache, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture.

The technical consultation was a first step and an opportune moment for stakeholders to initiate discussions necessary to move towards carrying out a more in-depth analysis of waste generated and understand its potential as biomass for bioenergy.

Sustainable bioenergy development is however, a complex area due to the range of bioenergy options across sectors, and the technological, economic and financial viability of implementing it.

Achieving the transformation to energy-smart food systems requires coordination in policymaking, appropriate legal frameworks and ongoing multi-stakeholder dialogue to support action.