Imported oil is the largest source of energy for the island; consumption reached 530,000 tons in 1992. In an attempt to reduce its dependence on imported oil, the government has invested in alternative sources of energy. Most of the hydroelectric potential of the country's rivers has been exploited. (The most recent hydroelectric station, Champagne, came online in 1985.) Therefore, the prime focus has been on using a waste product of the sugar industry, bagasse, which also is less damaging to the environment, in generating electricity. Two bagasse-fired plants were proposed and studies for them were funded by the World Bank in 1992. In 1991 electric power production amounted to 737.2 million kilowatt-hours.
Data as of August 1994