Project

Accelerating the transformational shift to a low-carbon economy in the Republic of Mauritius

Lead country

Mauritius

Participating countries

Mauritius

Project status

Under implementation

Implementing period

From August 1, 2017 to April 11, 2026

SDGs addressed by this project

SDG targets

  1. 7.1 Ensure universal access to sustainable, reliable energy
  2. 7.2 Increase share of global renewable energy
  3. 13.2 Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.

Project ID: 5681

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Technical team

  • Energy Programme

Technical area(s)

  • Renewable Energy

Sub-area(s)

  • Type: On-grid, utility-scale
  • Resource: Battery
  • Type: On-grid, rooftop
  • Type: Off-grid, mini-grids
  • Resource: Solar

Landscape(s)

N/A

Transformed sector(s)

  • Energy

UNDP role(s)

  • Capacity development / Technical assistance
  • Institutional mechanism and system building

Strategy

  • Governance
  • Technology innovation

Sub-strategy

  • Laws/ Policy/ Plan formulation
  • Laws enforcement/ Regulation
  • Institutional framework
  • Alternative energy sources
  • Infrastructure building

Social inclusion

  • Local community/CSOs
  • Private sector

Gender equality

N/A

Gender result effectiveness scale

N/A

Pathway(s)

  • Systems pathway
  • Sci-tech pathway

Risk reduction target(s)

  • Improve resilience
  • Hazard control/mitigation

SDG target(s)

  • 7.1 Ensure universal access to sustainable, reliable energy
  • 7.2 Increase share of global renewable energy
  • 13.2 Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.

Conventions and protocols

  • United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
  • National Determined Contributions (NDCs)

Private sector(s)

  • Small and medium-sized enterprises

Hot topic

  • SIDS
  • Multi-stakeholder collaboration

About this project

Description

With 84% of its primary energy requirements met from imported fossil fuels, Mauritius, like many Small Island Developing States (SIDS), is extremely vulnerable to energy shocks. The grid emission factor of Mauritius is extremely high at 1.01 tonnes CO2/MWh due to the prevalence of imported coal (39%) and fuel oil (38%) in the electricity generation mix. Net greenhouse gas emissions are increasing at a rapid rate of 3% per year. The pressing need to significantly enhance Mauritius's energy independence and reduce greenhouse gas emissions is recognised in the country's Nationally Determined Contribution (2016), its Second National Communication to the UNFCCC (2010) and its UNFCCC Technology Needs Assessment (2014), as well as in a comprehensive suite of Government strategies and policies contained in the Long-Term Energy Strategy (2011-2025). Following a broad consultative process led by the NDA and backed by sound technical and financial analysis as well as considerable political will, this project will remove the principal bottlenecks to investment in low-carbon development for: (i) grid-connected intermittent renewable energy; and (ii) mini-grid PV for the principal outer island, Agalega. The project will be implemented in a two-phase approach so as to reduce the implementation risks to the GCF and ensure that the second funding disbursement is contingent upon successful completion of the first phase. The project seeks a total of USD 28.21 million of GCF grant resources, split across phase 1 (USD 12 million) and phase 2 (USD 16.21 million), to overcome identified barriers to low-carbon investment. The incremental logic of the project and its requirement for grant resources are clearly laid out in the proposal. Overall, the project will result in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 4.27 million tCO2e over the lifetimes of the investments enabled, at a cost to the GCF of just USD 6.6/tCO2e.

Objectives

Paradigm shift objectives: The project will contribute to two key Fund-Level Impacts, namely through reduced emissions through increased low-emission energy access and power generation by enabling the volume of intermittent renewables on the national grid to be increased substantially.

USD $28,210,000

Grant amount

USD $163,180,000

Leveraged amount (co-financing)

1

Source(s) of fund

Sources of fund

 

  • Green Climate Fund Common ($28,210,000)

Implementing partner(s)

  • Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED)

Project metrics

Related resources

Geospatial information

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Project reports and documentation