Masdar launches Dh102.8m wind farm in Seychelles

The Port Victoria Wind Power Project, Masdar's six-megawatt wind farm in the Republic of Seychelles, which consists of eight wind turbines across two small islands off the coast of Mahe to provide electricity to more than 2,100 homes, will be inaugurated today. Masdar, which developed and delivered the project and which is owned and operated by the government of the Seychelles, said: "The new project plant is Seychelles' first large-scale, renewable-energy project which accounts for more than 8 per cent of the grid capacity on the archipelago's main island of Mahe, where 90 per cent of the country's residents live.” According to Masdar, five turbines will be located on Romainville Island and three will be at Ile du Port. The 750 kilo watt wind turbines are supplied by a South Korean turbine manufacturer and contractor. Before the wind farm began operations, the Seychelles was entirely dependent on imported fossil fuels for its energy generation. The integration of clean, sustainable energy is helping the island nation decrease its power outages, address its long-term energy security and reduce its carbon footprint, said Masdar. The project will produce nearly 7GWh of clean energy per year, displacing approximately 5,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and power more than 2,100 homes. The plant will reduce import of fuel by 1.6 million litres per year. "The Port Victoria Wind Power Project is a major step toward meeting the Seychelles energy policy, which sets a target of producing 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030,” said Masdar. The project was financed through a Dh102.8 million (US$28 million) grant provided by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), a government entity which helps to enhance the living standards in developing nations. In April 2013, Masdar had inaugurated a 15-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant in Nouakchott, which is the largest solar power installation in Africa. The Nouakchott project is the first utility-scale solar power installation in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and accounts for 10 per cent of Mauritania's grid capacity which produces 25,409 MWh of clean electricity annually and displaces approximately 21,225 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. The plant consists of 29,826 micromorph thin-film panels, manufactured by Masdar PV and will supply the demand in over 10,000 homes in Nouakchott. From Gulf News