Praslin power station to remain at present location |08 August 2017

The government has decided that it is more feasible to keep the Public Utilities Corporation’s (PUC) power station at Baie Ste Anne, Praslin where it is now rather than relocating it.

But residents living in the vicinity have been offered the opportunity to choose another area on Praslin where they feel they will be comfortable to live in.

This was announced by Didier Dogley, Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Change, in  a press conference at his office at Le Chantier Mall yesterday.

Also present were Philip Morin, chief executive of PUC; Jude Gedeon, public health commissioner; PUC’s deputy chief executive Joel Valmont and principal secretary for environment Alain Decommarmond.

It follows concerns raised by residents living in the vicinity of the Baie Ste Anne power station and also a motion tabled recently by the elected member of the National Assembly for Baie Ste Anne Praslin, Churchill Gill.

Minister Dogley said the decision was taken after a paper was tabled to the cabinet weighing the pros and cons of building a new power station and the installation of undersea power cables to Praslin and La Digue which would have cost US $60 million – considered very expensive. And also the relocation does not guarantee that people will not be affected, maybe even more.

“So government took a decision to rather relocate those households which will cost a lot less than building a power station or installing undersea cables. It will also offer people the opportunity to choose an area where they will be comfortable living in,” he said, adding after discussing with the residents, most of them are inclined to move.

The three main concerns that were to be addressed were whether government could relocate the power station; the second one was about whether the noise level and pollution coming out of the station could be attenuated to ensure it meets the minimum standard of the government of Seychelles through the ministries of environment and of health. And the third one is about the health of the people living in that area where they are claiming they are being affected by the emissions – either fumes or vibration from the power station.

On the first concern, Minister Dogley explained that back in 2010 PUC did a study together with a company from South Africa on the installation of undersea cables from Mahé to supply Praslin and La Digue with electricity.

“They came up with a cost of US $60 million dollars for such a project. We looked at the different factors and decided it will be extremely expensive for the government to invest in such undersea cables. Also those cables have got a life span which means they will have to be removed and replaced. We considered the second option which was to move the power station from Baie Ste Anne to that jetty that has been reclaimed. We found it will cost the government minimum US $24 million to build a new power station there. And if we want to install all facilities to minimise any form of pollution, it would be rather expensive,” he explained.

But at the same time, the minister said, there was no guarantee people were not going to be affected. And maybe even more as Praslin is a small island.

So with these points into consideration, he said a paper was tabled to the cabinet outlining the different options with their pros and cons, and in the end a decision was taken to leave the power station at Baie Ste Anne.

The minister said originally when the station was designed, that location was the best one to have an industrial estate. At that time there was also Seypec with their storage facilities; there was also Seychelles Breweries. In fact there are various industries that are located there. Also in that area there are about 25 houses that have been built there.

With regard to actions that are being taken or will be taken to address the issues of noise pollution from the station, Mr Morin said in the immediate future they will re-do the perimeter wall all round the power station which will reduce noise level if built at a reasonable level.

To the side that faces the Baie Ste Anne hospital which does not have any wall barrier, he said, if a wall is built there it will also help to reduce noise. As for the containerised generators located outside of the station which Mr Morin said they also contribute towards noise pollution, he said PUC plans to put measures in place to reduce the fumes being let out by increasing air circulation around them.

“To stop noise from power station from easily escaping to the outside environment, we are looking into the possibility of bringing in new panellings so they can contain the noise. To address the issue of exhaust fumes, we will install better silencers; raise the exhaust level to help in better managing fume emissions,” said Mr Morin.

All these works, he said, are expected to be carried out in the next 12 months.

As for health issues, Mr Gedeon said their responsibility is to find out whether these nuisances have affected residents in that area. The Ministry of Health did its own survey to see the acceptable level of noise for example. Tests will be carried out on all residents who believe they have been affected. A form will be distributed indicating how they have been affected.

“Based on the findings we will decide if the conditions detected are different from those of the general population of Praslin. Anything we pick up that will necessitate a more detailed examination, we will organise for them to have the tests done on Mahé,” he said.