VICTORIA, Seychelles — Minister for Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment Flavien Joubert attended India Energy Week 2024 in Goa from February 6 to 8, accompanied by Joel Valmont, chief executive of the Public Utilities Corporation, and Bernice Charles, acting chief executive of the Seychelles Energy Commission. The delegation attended the opening ceremony on February 6, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the guest of honour. After the opening, the delegation visited the various companies and businesses that were showcasing their products and services.
This was a chance for Minister Joubert to engage with these businesses and companies, especially renewable energy companies and alternative energy providers. In the afternoon, the delegation attended a ministerial panel session about ensuring energy security for the nation and industry in a world that is increasingly filled with volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. The session discussed the energy transition challenges facing small island developing states.
On the second day, Minister Joubert attended a ministerial panel entitled Powering Tomorrow: Future Outlook for Energy Markets, and was one of the participants. He discussed the various challenges that Seychelles faces in ensuring that it achieves its nationally determined contributions (NDC) commitments and succeeds in achieving the energy transition. He noted that the country is doing its utmost to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Minister Joubert also highlighted that like other small islands developing countries (SIDS), Seychelles is suffering from the consequences of climate change. He discussed the management and abatement of emissions from the Roche Caïman power plant, and technical cooperation for the utilities sector. He held a bilateral meeting with Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Government of India.
During the bilateral, the minister discussed the development of biofuel in Seychelles and renewable energy for the agricultural sector. On February 7, Minister Joubert was interviewed by the Business Standards newspaper of India, in which he discussed the various assistance that India has provided to Seychelles in the energy sector and the outcomes of the discussion with his Indian counterpart. The inaugural India Energy Week took place in Bengaluru in February 2023.
