In 2023, fossil fuels supplied about 83% of Mauritius’s electricity consumption, including roughly a third from coal. Low-carbon sources provided the remaining 17%, or about one-sixth. Biofuels accounted for around 10% of electricity, solar for almost 5%, and hydropower for about 3%. Mauritius therefore remains heavily dependent on fossil electricity, with substantial scope to expand clean generation and reduce the climate impacts and air pollution associated with fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in Mauritius?

Electricity consumption per person reached a new record in 2023, at about 2,570 kWh, compared with roughly 2,510 kWh in 2019. This represents modest growth of around 2% above the previous peak. However, low-carbon electricity generation per person was only 448 kWh, around 100 kWh—or 18%—below its 2020 record of 546 kWh. The rise in overall electricity consumption is encouraging, but the shortfall in clean generation is concerning: Mauritius needs stronger low-carbon growth to support electrification and future electricity demand.

Suggestions

Mauritius can accelerate clean electricity growth by prioritizing solar installations on rooftops and suitable land, alongside storage and grid improvements. Relevant island examples include Cyprus and the US state of Hawaii, where solar supplies about 23% of electricity, far above Mauritius’s roughly 5%. Cape Verde, another island nation, generates around 14% of its electricity from wind, offering a useful reference for assessing local wind opportunities. Mauritius should also consider nuclear electricity within its long-term planning, including opportunities for international cooperation and suitable reactor technologies. France, where nuclear supplies about two-thirds of electricity, and the United Arab Emirates, where it supplies a fifth, demonstrate nuclear’s contribution to substantial clean electricity generation.

History

Mauritius’s low-carbon electricity history shows intermittent gains rather than sustained expansion. Hydropower fluctuated during the 1980s and 1990s, with decreases of about 0.1 TWh in 1983, 1990 and 1999, and increases of a similar size in 1985 and 1995. Biofuel generation rose by about 0.1 TWh in both 1990 and 1998. In 2000, hydropower and biofuels each added around 0.1 TWh. During the 2010s, biofuels increased in 2010 and 2015 but declined in 2011, while solar delivered a welcome gain of about 0.1 TWh in 2019. Further biofuel declines of roughly 0.1 TWh occurred in both 2020 and 2022, and hydropower showed no change at the reported precision in 2023. This uneven progress highlights the need for a sustained expansion of solar and other clean electricity sources.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade