Prof Khalil Elahee, President of EEMO: "The Current Oil Crisis is Worse than the Pandemic"

The war in the Middle East brings back the threat of a global oil shock, with potentially severe repercussions for Mauritius. According to Prof. Khalil Elahee, President of the Energy Efficiency Management Office (EEMO), the current situation is even "worse than the pandemic," as it directly threatens the country's energy supply. With rising prices, the risk of shortages, and pressure on the economy, the island must urgently strengthen its resilience.

Prof. Elahee points out that in the past, people often spoke of an "energy crisis" when it was not truly the case. "These were more about cyclical risks, such as the load shedding we recently experienced. Thankfully, there wasn't any due to the alert system and especially the participation of citizens, like the private sector, in energy conservation," he explains. However, with the war in the Middle East, he warns that we are in a situation comparable to 1973 during the first oil shock. "It’s worse than the pandemic, because supply can be interrupted, leading to unprecedented upheaval in all economic spheres and everyday life," he asserts.

In his opinion, a massive installation of photovoltaic panels on rooftops, leaving land for food security, is part of the solution. This, combined with storage batteries whose prices have dropped by over 90% since 2010. "Commercial and industrial sectors should accelerate their energy transition, not only due to the crisis, but because it is financially beneficial for their future. For the domestic sector, subsidies will be necessary, but in the long term, it will be in the interest of the country in terms of resilience," he advises.

For Prof. Elahee, it is nonsensical to move towards photovoltaics with batteries only to waste energy and be inefficient in its usage. "That’s why the government is right to extend the national campaign for energy conservation and efficiency, but it should not just be limited to acting between 6 AM and 9 PM," he states.

The Energy Efficiency Management Office (EEMO), he continues, is redesigning the messages and recommended measures to reduce energy demand everywhere, both in the evening and during the day. "This does not rule out the possibility that if the war continues, there may be rationing here, as well as around the world, not just of energy but also of goods.

This is not inevitable, even if it is a 'last resort action.' We are not there yet, and the population's response during the energy conservation campaign gives us hope that solidarity in tough times is a challenge we can overcome together," he supports.

Prof. Khalil Elahee highlights that if the cost of fuel for the CEB is two or three times more expensive in the medium and long term, we should see if the supply chain of biofuels from Réunion could be a feasible solution. "So far, our sister island has been relatively spared by the energy crisis, and we need to learn from it, or at the very least collaborate better with it, as we share the same contexts. With oil prices at a record high, and especially not available, we need to explore this possibility," he urges.

In an increasingly unstable world, Khalil Elahee's message is clear: Mauritius can no longer afford to manage emergencies alone. It must now think about resilience, conservation, and transition before a global crisis hits the island hard.