WSHPDR_2013_Final_Report-updated_version

2.3.7 French Guiana
Laxmi Aggarwal and Lara Esser, International Center
on Small Hydro Power
Key facts
Population 200,000
Area 91,000 km 2
Climate Tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal
temperature variation 1
Topography Low-lying coastal plains rising to hills
and small mountains
Rain pattern One rainy season from mid-November
to late January and another more
significant one from late March to early
July. Average annual rainfall of 1,700
mm in the north-west, 3,800 mm in the
Regina-Cacao region, 3,000 mm in the
coastal areas and 2,500 mm in the
interior 2
Electricity sector overview
The total installed capacity in French Guiana for
electricity generation is 285 MW. A detailed
description of the installed capacity in French Guiana
as of July 2012 can be seen in table below. 3
Grid connected electricity generation capacity in
French Guiana
Owner Site Type Installed
capacity
(MW)
EDF Degrad des Cannes Diesel 71
EDF Degrad des Cannes Gas turbines 2 x 20
EDF Kourou Gas turbines 20
EDF Petit Saut Hydropower 4 x 28.4
Voltalia La Mana Hydropower 4.5
Voltalia Kourou Biomass 1.7
Multiple multiples PV 34
owners
Total 284.8
Source: EDF and Direction des Systemes Energetiques Insulaires 3
Note: EDF - Électricité de France, PV – photovoltaic. Data as of July
2012.
It can be seen that the main player in the French
Guiana electricity generation field is Électricité de
France (EDF) that is mainly focusing on gas and
hydropower resources primarily via the Petit-Saut dam
which produces 50-70 per cent of electricity used by
French Guiana. 4 In 2011, 838 GWh of electricity were
generated in French Guiana and fed into the grid. 3
Figure 1 shows that hydropower is the greatest
contributing source as of 2011, followed by thermal
input, whereas photovoltaic and biomass make a
smaller contribution.
Small hydropower sector overview and potential
Electrification in French Guiana was only recently
realized in 2005 using hydropower. Electrification of
Antecume Pata was materialized thanks to a microhydropower
plant (50 kW). There are two small
hydropower plants in French Guiana, La Mana with an
installed capacity of 4.5 MW and Saut-Maripa with a
capacity of 0.88 MW. There is also a micro hydropower
plant (100 kW). There is still potential for greater
hydropower generation (figure 2). 5 6
Biomass 1%
Photovoltaic 4%
Thermal
39%
Hydropower
56%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Figure 1 Electricity generation in French Guiana
Source: Électricité de France and Direction des
Systemes Energetiques Insulaires 3
SHP installed
capacity
SHP potential
unknown
5.5 MW
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Figure 2 Small hydropower capacities in French
Guiana
Special conditions prevail in non-interconnected
power systems in areas described as ‘island’ by the
European Community, which do not allow the
emergence of a competitive market in the energy
sector. Therefore French Guiana, as an overseas
territory of France, has an exemption specially set by
the European Community in favour of ‘small isolated
systems’.
As a result, utilities in French Guiana are not required
to separate their network management from their
business. EDF continues to integrate all the electrical
trades to ensure the public service. As such, they are
committed to generate electricity in competition with
other producers; purchase all electricity produced in
the territory; running 24 hours to ensure power
system balance between customer demand and
supply of electricity producers; the transportation and
distribution of electricity to all customers.
Renewable energy policy
French law is applicable in French Guiana. However it
can be altered to meet its specific characteristics (on
the basis of Article 73 of the Constitution), therefore
the Climate Plan to reduce GHG emissions by a
quarter by 2050, also applied to French Guiana. Thus,
the National Assembly voted for the Grenelle de
l’Environnement (Environmental Forum) law in
October 2008. This law applies to the French overseas
departments of which French Guiana is a part of. The
law states that “energy independence shall be
achieved by reaching an objective of 50 per cent of
final energy consumption in French Guiana,
199