The Republic of Seychelles moved a step closer to realizing its clean energy ambitions with the inauguration of a UAE-funded 5-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) plant with battery storage, the second clean-energy project in the African island nation.
Developed by Masdar and the Seychelles’ Public Utilities Corporation (PUC), the Ile de Romainville Solar Park was financed by Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), one of the UAE’s leading development-financing institutions owned by the Abu Dhabi government.
The facilities include the 5 MW solar PV plant located in Ile de Romainville, a 3.3 MWh energy storage system located on Mahé, and a 33kV system that allows for the safe and stable supply of electricity from the PV power plant to the main island of Mahé which, further, increases the resilience of the national grid of the Seychelles. It is estimated that the project will save approximately 2 million liters of fuel annually and offset 6,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
The Ile de Romainville Solar Park was constructed on the same island hosting several wind turbines from ADFD and Masdar’s first project in the Seychelles, the Port Victoria Wind Farm, which has been operational since 2013. The park’s PV array was specifically designed to maximize the use of available land, while allowing for the maintenance of the wind turbines and minimizing any shading losses resulting from them.
The park is part of the ADFD and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Project Facility. ADFD has committed US$350 million in concessionary loans over seven funding cycles to support the establishment of renewable energy projects in developing countries.
Seychelles heavily relies on fossil fuels to meet its electricity demand, with fossil fuels accounting for around 20 percent of the country’s imports. The country has set a target of 5 percent renewables by 2020 and 15 percent by 2030.