Mauritius Sea Water Air Conditioning

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The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) has approved a US $1-million project preparation grant at the end of December 2013 to support Sotravic Ltd. in the development and installation of the Sea Water Air Conditioning (SWAC) System in Mauritius, an innovative low-carbon technology that lowers building cooling costs using cold ocean water. It will thus contribute to an annual reduction of 40,000 tons of CO2 emissions, create 40 direct green jobs for skilled local engineers and technicians, and potentially create many more indirect jobs in downstream businesses such as aquaculture, pharmaceutical and bottling specialty water. It will also be the first such project in Africa with a high demonstration effect for other coastal cities on the continent.
The Deep Ocean Water Application (DOWA) Project consists in the construction and operation of a ground-breaking system that pumps cold water from the Indian Ocean and uses it for air conditioning purposes in buildings located in the heart of Port Louis and other nearby locations.
When completed, the project will replace energy-intensive traditional air conditioning systems in buildings currently consuming the equivalent of 30 MW of electricity with a cold ocean-water cooling system that requires only 4 MW of electrical power to operate. This will free 26 MW of electrical power to be used for other purposes, directly contributing to a greater generation reserve margin in a country that highly depends on fossil fuels and on the seasonal availability of hydro and bagasse cogeneration resources to ensure a reliable power supply.
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