A “marine renewable energy” unit, co-piloted by the Réunion Region and the prefecture, was officially installed on March 21.
It is made up of institutional actors, community representatives, of industrialists, stakeholders from the marine world and environmental protection associations. Its purpose is to monitor the progress of studies of potential and deposits of marine energies and to anticipate conflicts of use which could be linked to these developments.. “Marine energies could quickly become one of the pillars of the energy mix of Reunion Island., commented Huguette Bello, president of the region. But the issues linked to the marine environment are not limited to energy, and it is necessary to reconcile the preservation of natural environments and the economic and energy valorization of the sea and its resources. One of the ambitions of Reunion Island's multi-year energy program is to pave the way for marine energies and to show project leaders the desire of public authorities to develop them.. Investors heard the same promises at the end of the 2000s, from the time of the Gerri project. But none of the projects developed at that time could come to fruition..
