The Middle East’s leading clean energy developer, Masdar has launched the very first renewable energy plant to be built in The Seychelles – the 6MW Port Victoria Wind Farm.
Financed by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the 6MW Victoria Wind Farm will generate eight percent of the energy on Mahé Island, where 90 percent of the population lives.
Masdar built eight turbines that can operate in low wind conditions on two different islands; they are connected by three kilometers of subsea cables and are designed to function well despite the highly corrosive marine environment.
For now, Port Victoria will power up to 2,100 homes and displace 5,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, but the country has both the potential and desire to meet 15 percent of the island nation’s energy needs with wind power by 2030.
Currently, like many developing countries, the Seychelles relies on dirty diesel generators for the bulk of its energy, and imports of the fuel gobble up 25 percent of the country’s net imports.
This is not the first time that Masdar has helped a less well country gain access to clean energy.
Earlier this year the team delivered Africa’s largest photovoltaic plant in Mauritania. That project covers ten percent of the desert country’s energy demand.
“The United Arab Emirates has been actively assisting developing countries to achieve economic growth and social opportunity through strategic aid and support programs,” said H.E. Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, acting director general of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.
“ADFD aims to achieve the UAE government‘s policy by working with the international community to enhance economic growth in developing countries by financing development projects.”
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
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