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“We are already seeing our islands disappear. That’s the reality we are facing.”

In March 2022, Seychelles President Wavel Ramakalawan gave this stark warning to the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum. Highlighting the extreme vulnerability of small island developing states (SIDS) to climate change, he also called for global action. “We are talking about our very survival, and it’s not just our little survival in the various corners of the world where we are,” he said. “We’re talking about the survival of planet Earth.”

Seychelles, like many similar island nations, depends heavily on imported energy, in the form of fossil fuels. In 2019, a staggering 98 percent of the country’s energy came from this single resource. This brings more than just an environmental impact. As the cost of fossil fuels has soared on the global market in recent months, the Seychelles (like other energy importers) has faced a rising fuel bill. Added to this is the cost of other basics necessities. Seychelles relies on imported food, which accounts for about 70 percent of food consumption. With this in mind, the country has set a goal of reducing its dependency upon imports, boosting renewable energy to 15 percent by 2030, with a long-term aim of using 100 percent renewable sources for electricity production.
With this ambitious target, Seychelles has been exploring a range of options for renewable energy, including solar, wind and biomass. In 2020, they announced plans to build one of the world’s largest floating solar power plants. In this context, the Energy team of the Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment Office in FAO has been supporting the country identify bioenergy (biomass based energy) opportunities for the country.

Biomass also refers to agricultural and forestry waste and manure. When integrated into a country’s energy strategy, biomass has the additional benefit of reducing waste, emissions and local pollution (for example, by converting biomass to cleaner-burning products rather than open burning in fields). Around 70 000 tonnes of waste are delivered to the landfill on Mahé annually with almost 20 percent of that waste estimated to be available for biogas production.

FAO’s Sustainable Bioenergy Assessment report for Seychelles looks at the potential for sustainable bioenergy within the country, considering the country context, conditions and delicate habitat. The report considers sustainable biomass sources from the agriculture, forestry and waste sectors and estimates the amount of biomass available, with a focus on the biodegradable portion of waste, otherwise destined for landfill. The use of these biomass types and amounts are then assessed from a technical and economic point of view, under different price scenarios for the production of energy.
One of the key findings of the report is the need for the country to develop a value chain for biomass, including transportation, storage, and processing. With accurate assessment and costings for each of these stages, industry and policymakers can predict where interventions and investments are most likely to succeed.

“Turning waste into power is an alternative energy strategy that can help address the amount of waste generated,” says Irini Maltsoglou, Natural Resources Officer for FAO. “But to support communities to adopt a different approach requires an evidence-based solution. With this report, Seychelles has a pathway for using biomass to reduce their fossil fuel dependency and fulfil their commitments under Sustainable Development Goal number 7, to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and clean energy for all.”