Voltalia to build a new hydroelectric project in French Guiana

Voltalia release

Voltalia (Euronext Paris, ISIN code: FR0011995588), an international player in renewable energies, will eliminate the import and consumption of 6 million liters of diesel fuel each year with this hydroelectric project located in the commune of Maripa-Soula in French Guiana.

The French Energy Regulation Commission (CRE) authorised Voltalia to sign a contract with EDF SEI or the sale of electricity produced by a new run-of-river hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 2.9 megawatts located on the Inini River at Saut-Sonnelle, in the town of Maripa-Soula, in French Guiana. This contract covers a period of 30 years from the commissioning of the facility, scheduled for 2026.

The hydroelectric production of the Maripa-Soula power plant is estimated at 12.7 gigawatt hours per year, making it possible to supply nearly 11,000 local inhabitants. It will replace the current production, as expensive as it is carbon-intensive, relying on the annual importation of 6 million liters of diesel necessary for the electrical consumption of Maripa-Soula, which is transported by boat, then by truck and finally by canoe to this very isolated commune.The project implies an emission reduction of more than 18,000 tonnes of CO₂ each year.

The impacts of this run-of-river hydroelectric plant will be offset by the implementation of particularly ambitious environmental measures. Indeed, more than €1.1 million will be invested in a programme to preserve the surrounding forest, the creation of a fish spawning area, and ecological monitoring (fauna, flora, sediments and water quality) upstream and downstream of the facility.

"We are very happy to be able to complete this new project, result of a long process initiated by all our teams on site. The hydroelectric plant will meet the energy needs of the town of Maripa-Soula with a local and clean resource. The entire Maroni valley should benefit from the positive spin-offs of the upcoming project," said Sébastien Clerc, CEO of Voltalia.

Serge Anelli, mayor of Maripa-Soula, adds: "The implementation of this hydroelectric power station fully meets the objectives of ecological transition of the municipality: it will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the municipality by offering the inhabitants of Maripa-Soula electricity produced from a local and renewable resource. Moreover, it will improve the quality of electricity supply to the population and create local jobs. This is a project that the town has been waiting for and that I have been advocating for several years. I am very happy to see it come to fruition."