Masdar, an Abu Dhabi-based renewables developer, has switched on a 5 MW solar plant in the Seychelles. The Ile de Romainville project includes 3.3 MW of battery energy storage and a 33 kV system to transmit electricity to the main island of Mahe.

The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) financed the project, which was jointly developed by Masdar and Seychelles-based Public Utilities Corp. (PUC). It is part of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and ADFD Project Facility, which is an initiative to scale up renewables in developing countries. It is only the second clean-energy project in the Seychelles, according to Masdar.

Masdar built the solar plant on the island of Romainville, which hosts several wind turbines from ADFD and Masdar’s Port Victoria Wind Farm. It specifically designed the PV installation to maximize the use of available land, while allowing for the maintenance of the wind turbines and minimizing shading losses, Masdar said in a statement.

“By saving about 2,000,000 liters of fossil fuel annually, Ile de Romainville solar PV plant will enable the country to significantly reduce its carbon footprint, provide a wide range of benefits to its people and empower small businesses,” said ADFD Director General Mohamed Saif Al Suwaidi. “The project will also make energy more affordable and accessible to the population.”

The Seychelles heavily relies on fossil fuels to meet its electricity demand, with fossil fuels accounting for around 20% of the country’s imports. It has set a target of 15% renewables by 2030. According to IRENA, the nation's cumulative solar capacity stood at 9 MW in 2021.