ADFD and Masdar drive forward Seychelles’ energy independence and sustainability initiative

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 project inauguration was attended by His Excellency Khalifa Abdulla Al Qubaisi, Deputy Director General of ADFD, HE Ahmed Afif, Vice President of the Republic of Seychelles, HE Flavien Joubert, Minister for Agriculture, Climate Change and Energy of the Republic of Seychelles, Joel Valmont, the Chief Executive of PUC, Dr. Ibraheem Almansouri, Head of Engineering at Masdar and Simon Bräuniger, Senior Manager, Project Management Services at Masdar.

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.