Though Cabo Verde has ample sunshine and a sustainable offering of reliable wind resources, it has yet to meet its energy targets. It tries to promote renewable energy resources to diversify its energy mix and lower its dependence on other countries and energy costs.
During the 2023 International Conference of Partners, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Energy for Cabo Verde, Alexandre Monteiro, noted the island state has bold ambitions to exceed the 50% implementation of energy produced from renewable energy sources by 2030. As renewable energy contributes less than 20% to the country’s energy supply, this will help it achieve a 100% energy access rate by 2026.
Cabo Verde is home to the Cabeolica Wind Park, which consists of four wind farms set across four different islands and prevent more than 47,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, with plans for expansion announced in 2023. With 30 wind turbines distributed among the wind farms on the islands of Santiago (11MW), Sal (9MW), Sao Vicente (7MW) and Boa Vista (3MW), Cabeolica maintained an installed capacity of 25.5MW in 2022.
In 2022, the Government of Cabo Verde signed an agreement with Cabeolica to install three more wind power turbines with a capacity of 4.5MW each, representing a total additional capacity of 13MW.