Français
To get work underway on Public's new EDF power plant, one of the priorities is to find land on which to install the temporary engines, as well as temporary offices and an equipment storage shed. Territorial councillors discussed this issue at their meeting on Thursday September 18. The production plant is equipped with eight generational engines. The most powerful, made by Wärtsilä, were installed in 2013 and produce 8 MW each. The other six, made by MAN, generate 3.2 MW each and were installed in the mid-1980s. The latter are "at the end of their service life and require urgent replacement", the meeting was told. In order to ensure uninterrupted power supply, EDF required an area of around 1,200 m2 close to the power station. The plot currently occupied by the "private individuals" site of the Public waste disposal center was chosen. This will then be temporarily transferred to part of the Saint-Jean site, which is currently used to store sargassum collected from beaches and other fill. Close to the Super U supermarket and the airport. A solution greeted with scepticism by some councillors.
"If we put the waste there, we'll have to place it as far away from the shops as possible," insists first vice-president Marie-Hélène Bernier. We have solutions on Public," asserts Alexandra Questel, fourth vice-president. I regret that we have to sacrifice a strategic piece of land. "She also notes that the land in question is still "earmarked" for the construction of the new hospital. However, the elected representatives have since decided that the project for a new healthcare facility will be developed on the site of the current hospital in Gustavia.
President Lédée specifies that he leaves open the possibility of "diverting" the private waste collection center to another site. As for the offices and storage shed required by EDF, they could be installed on a plot of land in Anse des Cayes.
The resolution was adopted by a majority vote.
An island of over-consumption
In a report published on March 28, 2024, the Commission de régulation de l'énergie (French energy regulator) recommended the implementation of measures to limit public service energy charges in Saint-Barth. In 2022, net charges in Saint-Barthélemy amounted to almost €2,200 per inhabitant. "By way of comparison, net charges in Guadeloupe for the same year were just 1,000 euros", CRE points out. In addition, the figures for the objectives of the multi-year energy programming project point to costs that could reach 5,700 euros per inhabitant in 2028. In 2038, according to the Commission's projections, these same costs should reach 7,200 euros per inhabitant. In 2022, electricity generation in Saint-Barthélemy represented a total cost of €47.2 million. Of this total, 24.2 M€ was financed by local consumers subject to regulated electricity sales tariffs, and 23 M€ by national solidarity under the tariff equalization scheme.
According to data provided by the management of EDF Archipel Guadeloupe, electricity consumption in Saint-Barth has risen from 119 million kWh billed to 6,404 customers in 2021 to almost 141 million for 6,920 customers in 2024 (see graph). Consumption continues to rise.
