Mauritius Power Mix: Solar Soars, Coal Creeps Back

Mauritius produced 247.09 million kWh of electricity in June, according to figures reported by Le Défi Media, painting a complex picture of the island's evolving energy landscape — one where clean ambitions and fossil fuel realities continue to coexist in uneasy tension. On the encouraging side, solar energy recorded a significant leap in its contribution to the national grid. This reflects years of gradual investment in photovoltaic infrastructure across the island, as well as the growing adoption of rooftop solar panels by households and businesses eager to reduce their electricity bills and carbon footprints. Yet the headline figure comes with a sobering footnote: coal, long considered the fuel the island is trying to move away from, has been gaining ground. This dual movement — solar rising while coal simultaneously expands — underscores one of the central contradictions facing Mauritius as it attempts to balance energy security with its stated environmental commitments. Mauritius has pledged to generate 35% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025, a target that now looks increasingly ambitious given the structural role coal continues to play in baseload power generation. The Central Electricity Board (CEB), which oversees much of the island's power infrastructure, has faced persistent criticism from environmental groups for the pace of the renewable transition. What this June data ultimately reveals is that Mauritius is not in a straightforward green energy transition — it is navigating a messy, real-world energy trilemma: affordability, reliability, and sustainability. Solar is intermittent by nature, and without utility-scale battery storage or smarter grid management, coal remains the backstop that grid operators lean on when the sun doesn't shine. The editorial question worth asking is this: are the solar gains genuine structural progress, or are they seasonal peaks that mask a deeper dependence on fossil fuels? June is typically one of the cooler, drier months in Mauritius — good conditions for solar yield — which means the figures may flatter the island's renewable credentials. For policymakers, the June data should serve as both encouragement and a warning. The solar surge is real and should be accelerated. But allowing coal to quietly regain terrain while attention is focused on the renewable narrative risks locking Mauritius into a high-carbon future that will be costly — financially and environmentally — to unwind. Source: Le Défi Media