Abu Dhabi’s Masdar Launches Wind Farm In Seychelles

Abu Dhabi clean energy company Masdar and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) announced that they have launched a six-megawatt, eight-turbine wind farm in Seychelles.

The Port Victoria Wind Farm, developed by Masdar and funded by ADFD, accounts for eight per cent of capital island Mahé’s energy capacity and is expected to power 2,100 homes, the companies said in a statement.

No financial details were disclosed.

Seychelles currently relies on diesel generators to meet its electricity demand, with fuel accounting for 25 per cent of the country’s total net imports. However, the island country has set an ambitious goal of generating 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.

The wind farm is Seychelles’ first renewable energy project and is slated to displace 5,500 tons of carbon dioxide annually and save 1.6 million litres of fuel per year.

“Access to sustainable, clean sources of energy is vital to our long-term economic development,” said James Michel, president 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.”

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE minister of state and CEO of Masdar said: “For remote island nations, the integration of sustainable energy can deliver an immediate economic and tangible impact. Today, Seychelles can redirect fuel savings into investments in infrastructure development, social programs and to spurring economic growth.”

Masdar said that it constructed the eight wind turbines on two separate islands and connected them with three kilometers of subsea cables. The company also used turbines that can harness energy during low-to-medium wind speeds and which are resilient to corrosion from the salt and humidity of the ocean.

The Abu Dhabi firm is rapidly expanding its footprint globally and is currently undertaking a 15MW solar photovoltaic power plant in Mauritania, an off-grid solar PV systems project in Afghanistan and a 500KW solar photovoltaic power plant in Tonga.