Masdar, ADFD and PUC partner to build solar power plant with battery storage in Seychelles

Masdar will help the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) in building a 5 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant with battery storage in the Republic of Seychelles. The project is being financed by a AED 31 million loan from Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the leading national entity for development aid, as well as funds from PUC’s own equity.

The project’s engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract scope includes subsea cabling, switchgear extensions, and an underground water piping system for module cleaning.

The 5MW Ile de Romainville Solar Park will be located on the same site as the existing ADFD-financed AED 103 million Port Victoria Wind Farm. Built by Masdar, this 6 MW renewable energy wind farm has been generating power for the Seychelles’ capital since 2013.

The new project will also include an energy storage system (ESS) with a capacity of 5 MW and 3.3 MWh, allowing for the safe and stable supply of electricity to the main island of Mahé, while also ensuring the grid stability and safe operation of PUC’s conventional fuel-fired power station.

Due for completion in Q2 2019, the 5 MW Ile de Romainville Solar Park is part of ADFD and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Project Facility. ADFD has committed US$ 350 million in concessionary loans over seven funding cycles to support the establishment of renewable energy projects in developing countries.

Seychelles currently relies on fossil fuels to meet its electricity demand, with fossil fuels accounting for around 20 per cent of the country’s imports. In response, it has set a target of 5% renewables by 2020 and 15% by 2030. It is estimated that the Ile de Romainville solar project will save approximately 2,000,000 litres of fuel annually.

The new solar PV project will be installed on the same artificial island hosting five of the eight wind turbines of the Port Victoria Wind Farm. The PV array has been specifically designed to maximise the use of available land, while allowing for the maintenance of the wind turbines and minimising any shading losses resulting from them.

Operational since 2013, the eight wind turbines of the Port Victoria Wind Farm supply approximately 2,100 households on Mahé, Seychelles’ largest island, home to its capital city Victoria.