On November 15, 2018, the French energy regulator Commission de régulation de l’énergie (CRE) approved the terms of a draft amendment to the power purchase agreement (PPA) between EDF and the Albioma Caraïbes power plant in Guadeloupe, allowing the conversion of the 100 percent coal-fuelled facility to operate with biomass.
Albioma Caraïbes is a subsidiary of France-headed independent energy provider Albioma SA. According to Commission de régulation de l’énergie – CRE, the project is “fully consistent” with the aims of the Energy Transition for Green Growth Act, which sets a target of supplying 50 percent of end-use energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020.
Converting the 34 MWe installed capacity coal-fired power plant to operate with biomass will significantly increase the share of renewable energy in Guadeloupe’s energy mix to approximately 35 percent, from 20.5 percent in 2017.
Once converted, the Albioma Caraïbes plant, which supplies around 15 percent of the islands electricity demand, is expected to reduce its annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by over 265 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2eq), a decrease of around 87 percent from current levels with coal-fired operations.
We warmly welcome this announcement. The decision clears the way for the Group to implement its strategy for contributing to the energy transition in France’s overseas territories, in accordance with the objectives set out in the multi-year energy plans (PPE), said Frédéric Moyne, CEO, Albioma.
