Confirming the Fund’s support, Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of ADFD signed two agreements; the first with Didier Dogley, Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change of the Seychelles, and the second with Philip Morin, CEO of the Public Utilities Corporation. In attendance at the signings were Jean-Claude Adrienne, Ambassador of the Republic of Seychelles to the UAE, Adnan Z. Amin, Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency and several officials from the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar).
The first agreement includes the allocation of AED 31.2 million ($8.4 million) towards a solar farm that will be developed by Masdar in the island of Romainville, while the second agreement involves an investment of AED33 million ($9 Million) for the installation of a 33kV power grid in the island of Mahé.
Speaking on ADFD’s latest synergy with the government of the Seychelles, Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi said, “Since 1979, ADFD has shared outstanding relations with the government of the Seychelles. Our latest initiative to fund two high-potential projects in the Seychelles validates our sustained efforts to promote the widespread adoption of renewable energy in developing countries.”
The solar farm project on Rumenville Island is financed as part of the fourth funding cycle of IRENA/ADFD Project Facility launched in 2013. Speaking about the funding, Adnan Z. Amin said, “Over the course of the last four years, the IRENA/ADFD Project Facility has identified path breaking renewable energy projects that are helping to expand access to energy, bolster energy security and provide sustainable, affordable energy for those who need it most.”
The five MW project is anticipated to benefit nearly 90,000 people. The solar farm will also include storage batteries helping stabilize electricity prices in the island and reduce its dependence on biofuels.
Meanwhile, the 33kV power grid project in the island of Mahé will oversee the installation of a 12.5-kilometre line along with two feed stations to strengthen the transmission and distribution network in the northern areas. Built at an estimated cost of $10.5 million of which $9 million will be provided by ADFD, the project is set to meet the electricity demand driven by the growth of commercial, residential and tourism establishments on the island.
