Chinese Government Agency Grants R59 million for Renewable Energy Projects in Seychelles

On 23 May 2017, representatives from the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDEC) and the Seychelles Ministry of Environment, Energy, and Climate Change (MEECC) signed a memorandum of understanding in which China will grant 59 million Seychellois rupees (30 million RMB) to complete renewable energy projects including the Curieuse 100% Renewable and Solar School. Both of these projects will assist Seychelles in transitioning to a low-carbon, renewable energy economy. This grant agreement also provided for 800 solar street LED lights. According to the Seychelles National Parks Authority, at the time of signing, Curieuse Island's electricity came from gasoline-powered generators. The Curieuse 100% Renewable project will replace the generators with solar-powered photovoltaic (PV) battery systems including 96 solar panels, 270 watts each. Similarly, the Solar School project will install PV systems, a total of 791 solar panels, as well as weather monitoring devices on rooftops of 41 public schools on La Digue, Praslin, and Mahe islands. As of December 2016, PV systems were already being installed on La Digue and Praslin islands, and Mahé should have been addressed in 2017. In October 2017, Anse Etoile primary school was the first on Mahé to install the solar panels. It is unclear whether the rest of Mahé's schools completed installation and where the 800 street lamps were installed. This cooperation falls under the UN's South-South cooperation framework in which countries located in the global south help each other's climate action projects. The Curieuse 100% Renewable, Solar School, and street lamp projects were created under the Seychelles Smart Energy in Public Spaces government program.

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