New Caledonia, land of innovation: the Heart of Pouembout
The New Caledonia Office des Postes et Télécommunications is proud and happy to announce this new postage stamp designed to celebrate, further to the call for projects issued by the French government in November 2018, New Caledonia’s eminence as a land of innovation.
The “Territories of Innovation” scheme, rolled out as a new token of French government confidence in regional/territorial potential for innovation, aims to encourage and fund the development of innovative projects, working with local stakeholders and bringing together regional and local authorities and partners committed to economic development at regional/local level.
Out of the 48 applications received, covering the 6 suggested areas of interest (digital transition, sustainable energy, clean mobility, transformation of the agricultural sector - particularly agroecology, health system transformation and adapting skills to a changing labour market), 24 were selected, including the project submitted by New Caledonia, the only territory outside mainland France with a winning entry.
The New Caledonian project, a collaborative enterprise associating public authorities and promoters of economic development projects, plans to turn local biodiversity conservation into one of the key drivers of growth in the Pacific Region. To achieve this goal, a number of initiatives in the fields of environmental observation, research and protection are expected to come on stream over the coming years, facilitated, in particular, by French government aid in the form of subsidies and public investments, to an overall total of 14.8 million euros earmarked from the Investing in the Future Program.
This permanent value international postage stamp, the first in a new series of stamp issues dedicated to the “Territories of Innovation” scheme, was designed by Jean-Richard Lisiak. It shows Pouembout solar farm, located near Tia plateau. With its 8,000 solar panels covering an area of over 48,000 m2, Pouembout solar farm is one of the first solar power plants to go into operation in New Caledonia.
Operated by Total Quadran company (Pacific branch), this solar farm, inspired by the famous Heart in Voh mangrove, is an integral part of a policy of sustainable development committed to producing clean energy with no environmental impact.