The solar plant is expected to help the island nation achieve its target of 15 percent renewable energy by 2030
Seychelles has launched a 5-megawatt (MW) solar PV plant located on its Ile de Romainville island.
The project was completed with financing from the Abu Dhabi Development Fund (ADFD).
The solar plant is expected to help the island nation achieve its target of 15 percent renewable energy by 2030.
The commemorative plaque was unveiled by Seychelles’ Vice-President Ahmed Afif and the deputy director general of ADFD, Khalifa Abdulla Al Qubaisi.
Built on the southern half of the island, the farm comprises about 15,000 PV panels installed over an area of almost 50,000 square metres.
“The 5 MW PV Farm not only illustrates our commitment and effort in transforming our energy system to keep global warming below 1.5°C, but it is an excellent demonstration of the successful partnership between the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Masdar, PUC [Public Utilities Corporation], CES – the contractor, and the government of Seychelles,” said Flavien Joubert, Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Energy.
The plant was funded through a concessional loan of $8.5 million, payable at a 2 percent interest rate from ADFD.
The remaining $1.7mn is funded from PUC’s own equity, bringing the project to a total of $10.2mn.
The farm was commissioned in April 2021, a month after Seychelles reopened its borders to relaunch its tourism industry, which was severely affected by a downturn in travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since its commissioning, the solar farm has been generating the equivalent energy consumption of about 2,000 households every year through a generation of energy representing around 1.6 million litres of fuel consumption per year.
Source: utilities
