Abu Dhabi renewable energy company Masdar has just launched a new wind farm in the Seychelles in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD). The 6MW wind farm consists of eight wind turbines and is located on Mahé Island, the Seychelles main island which is home to 90 percent of the country’s population. The clean energy generated by the wind farm will displace some 5,500 tons of carbon dioxide per year, power more than 2,100 homes and save 1.6 million litres of fuel annually.
At present the Seychelles relies on expensive diesel generators for its electricity supplies. The fuel for these generators accounts for 25 percent of the country’s total net imports. The Seychelles has set itself a target of 15 percent energy from renewables sources by 2030 in order to diversify its energy mix and reduce its reliance on diesel.
“Access to sustainable, clean sources of energy is vital to our long-term economic development,” said James Michel, president of the Republic of Seychelles. “The addition of wind power is a major step toward meeting our clean energy targets and reducing our dependency on imported sources of power. We look forward to further opportunities to assess our wind power potential and continue to diversify our energy mix. We are grateful to the support from the United Arab Emirates to fund, develop and deliver this wind power project. The 6-megawatt wind farm that has been successfully delivered by Masdar and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development will help us meet our rising demand for energy and also liberates budget to invest in economic and social growth opportunities.”
The project was developed by Masdar with funding from ADFD and required Masdar to build eight wind turbines on two separate islands with 3 kilometers of subsea cable connection. Masdar also used advanced wind turbines that can harness energy from low-to-medium wind speeds and are resilient to corrosion from the salt and humidity of the ocean.
The United Arab Emirates has assisted developing countries for more than 40 years in order to promote economic development and social opportunity. The acceleration and adoption of renewable energy is a key component of the UAE’s efforts to help other countries grow, alleviating poverty and delivering basic services. Masdar is also establishing various other renewable energy projects in the developing world including a 15MW solar PV plant in the Islamci Republic of Mauritania, a solar PV project in Afghanistan intended to supply around 600 homes with off-grid solar PV power and a 500kW solar PV project in the Kingdom of Tonga.
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