Use of higher fibre cane for increasing cogenerated electricity: Policy implications for Mauritius

Around 14% of the total production of electricity of Mauritius is produced by bagasse, a by-product of sugar cane, as fuel in steam cogeneration power plants. However, due to the fall in revenues in the sales of sugar, the land area under cane cultivation is decreasing as well as the amount of electricity produced by bagasse. In order to enhance the sustainability of the cane industry, the use of sugar cane with higher percentage of fibre content is being investigated for increasing the production of bagasse and thus cogenerated electricity. Policy implications are also discussed.