Masdar to deliver 5-MW solar farm plus storage in Seychelles

Abu Dhabi renewable energy company Masdar will build a 5-MW solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant with a 5-MW/3.3-MWh energy storage system in the Republic of Seychelles.

The project is funded with a AED-31-million (USD 8.4m/EUR 7.3m) loan from Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) and equity from the local Public Utilities Corporation (PUC). The Ile de Romainville Solar Park will be installed on the artificial island that hosts five of the eight wind turbines that make up the 6-MW Port Victoria wind farm, which was built by Masdar and has been supplying power to the main island of Mahe since 2013.

Masdar said on Wednesday that the project's engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract includes subsea cabling, switchgear extensions and an underground water piping system for module cleaning.

The solar farm is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2019. "By combining solar energy with wind power, Seychelles will double its renewables capacity while freeing up resources for economic development," said PUC chief executive Philippe Morin.

According to the announcement, Seychelles relies on fossil fuels to meet its electricity demand and fossil fuels are responsible for around 20% of its imports. The country aims to achieve 5% renewables by 2020 and 15% by 2030.

(AED 1 = USD 0.272/EUR 0.234)

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