On July 3, 2018, the leaders of the Indian Ocean Commission, the European Union, the Rodrigues Regional Assembly and the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM) officially inaugurated this innovative project of solar desalination, isolated in the heart of the Indian Ocean on the island of Rodrigues, pearl of the Mascarene archipelago.

2500 Rodrigues’ inhabitants will be supplied with renewable water every day

This project producing drinking water from seawater and using solar energy, enabled by OSMOSUN® technology, will supply Rodrigues with 80m³ of solar-powered drinking water every day, and 300m³ through hybrid solar – grid powered sources at night. This exemplary reference demonstrates the technical and economic relevance of the use of renewable energies to produce fresh water for the islands of the Indian Ocean in situations of water deficit.

With Rodrigues’ inhabitant’s average consumption of 125 liters per person per day, the OSMOSUN® 13 SW unit will supply drinking water to 2,500 inhabitants in a reliable way throughout the year.

OSMOSUN® SW: An example of industrial and institutional cooperation

This project is an example of good industrial and institutional collaborations as Mascara has partnered with Quadran to install the 66kWp photovoltaic generator that powers the desalination unit during the day, without using a battery, and international financiers have also collaborated to make this project happen quickly and successfully.

The funding comes partly from the call for projects for innovative solutions from the Indian Ocean Commission program with European funding ENERGIES, partly from the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM), and finally from contributions of the Rodrigues Regional Assembly, a local community which is very concerned by the choice of durable solutions for its island.

This inauguration takes on a historical character, marking an important step towards making Rodrigues an ecological island and while simultaneously emphasizing the pioneering spirit of the island, which opens the way towards sustainable desalination for Rodrigues and the islands in the region.