Masdar starts work on Pacific Island (Kiribati, Fiji, Tuvalu,Vanuatu) solar energy plants

Masdar has begun construction of four new solar power projects in the Pacific island countries of Kiribati, Fiji, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

 

The solar projects will collectively deliver 1.8 megawatts (MW) of power and contribute to fuel savings worth $2mn per year.

Completion of the projects, financed under the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development’s $50mn UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund, is expected by the second half of 2015.

The Abu Dhabi renewable energy company has already delivered the La’a Lahi ‘Big Sun’ solar plant in Tonga, commissioned in November 2013, and Samoa’s first wind farm, commissioned in August 2014.

Both of these projects were also financed through the UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund.

“Access to clean energy is a pathway toward economic and social development,” said Dr. Ahmad Belhoul, CEO of Masdar.

“For Pacific islands, which rely on imported fuel for electricity generation, renewable energy provides a viable alternative.

“In fact, wind and solar power projects deliver immediate savings, while underpinning long-term energy security.”

The UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund was launched in March 2013 by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nayhan, UAE minister of foreign affairs, and administered by the ministry’s Directorate of Energy and Climate Change.

The fund covers the full project development spectrum, from feasibility studies through to operation and maintenance training. Grants are untied, enabling local companies to participate.

To date, the fund has supported the delivery of 2.8 megawatts of renewable energy capacity, across six countries in the region.

“The UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund demonstrates the tangible benefits that renewable energy offers all developing countries,” said His Excellency Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, director-general of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.

“Today, renewables are cost-effective and offer real solutions for growth across the Pacific.”