The Manjarisoa solar park, never operational due to lack of batteries, has been abandoned. The site will soon host Mahajanga's fish market. Fish vendors at Fitim bridge will be relocated.
The solar park project launched under former president Andry Rajoelina at the former FITIM textile factory site in Manjarisoa has been abandoned. The land will now accommodate a fish market. Vendors currently operating at FITIM bridge and other fish sellers in the city will soon be transferred there.
Thousands of solar panels installed on the site over the past year are being dismantled for reinstallation elsewhere. Fish merchants will take over the space.
Mahajanga's special delegation president decided to repurpose the area to develop fisheries-related activities. A ritual ceremony was organized with traditional leaders and the prince of Boeny to "purify" the site.
Launched in 2025, the project planned a 3-megawatt photovoltaic plant to reduce daytime power cuts in Mahajanga and strengthen Jirama network stability. However, it never became operational while awaiting essential battery delivery. It was designed to couple solar panels at Manjarisoa with a 2 MWh battery storage station at Amborovy.
"Power cuts cause considerable damage to residents' activities and significant economic losses for operators and businesses. Machine failures and generator breakdowns are among the main consequences. Finding solutions to chronic power cuts has never succeeded in Mahajanga. Even now, we suffer unexpected outages during peak tourism season," lamented an economic operator.
The photovoltaic park was also meant to complement Marolaka thermal plant. Solar energy would feed into Jirama's network to reduce fuel consumption and improve production capacity. The solar park would operate during the day while Marolaka thermal plant provided night coverage. But the project was never realized.