The 550KWe project, located on the Samoan island of Upolu, is the second to be completed under the United Arab Emirates (UAE) $50 million Pacific Partnership Fund, which is managed by Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD).
The inauguration ceremony was conducted by the Samoan Prime Minister, the Honorable Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegao, and comes two days before the start of the United Nations’ Third Conference on Small Island Developing States in Samoa’s capital.
“This UAE supported project, and others like it underway across the Pacific, unlocks significant economic and social benefits across the region” said His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Chairman of Masdar. “By providing local sources of renewable energy and reducing reliance on imported fuels, the UAE is helping countries like Samoa realize its development ambitions, while also delivering valuable clean energy infrastructure. Renewable energy has the potential to be a major contributor to the energy mix in developing countries, acting as a catalyst for greater socioeconomic opportunity. Today’s inauguration reinforces the UAE’s commitment to advancing and deploying renewable energy globally.”
Upolu is home to nearly 75 percent of the Samoan population. The new wind farm will supply 1,500MWh of power per year, delivering US$475,000 in annual fuel cost savings and reducing the island’s carbon footprint by more than 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
The UAE Pacific Partnership Fund supports the deployment of renewable energy across Pacific island states and represents one of the largest-ever investments in clean energy across the region. The grant is managed by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, and coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate of Energy and Climate Change. Masdar partners with each nation’s government and leads the design and implementation process.
Masdar is also currently progressing solar PV projects in Fiji, Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. A 512 kWe solar PV installation in Tonga, achieving nearly 70 percent grid penetration, was the first project to be completed.
The cumulative 2.8 MWe capacity of the six identified projects, will replace the 1.5 million litres of diesel fuel imported into the country per year reducing energy costs as well as reducing CO2 emissions. Research from the International Renewable Energy Agency indicates that renewable energy is now the most cost competitive source of power in the Pacific, but deployment has been constrained by access to finance and expertise.
The pioneering project in Samoa includes two 55 meters high turbines that can pivot at the base, and be lowered and locked in place in less than 1 hour. This collapsible design helps to avoid damage from the region’s numerous cyclones.
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