Masdar’s five small-scale solar energy projects are to be inaugurated this week in the Pacific Island countries and territories under the US$50 million UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund (UAE-PPD).
The projects are to be dispersed mainly across the Solomon Islands, Nauru, Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.
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Once operational, the projects will deliver a total of 3.1MW of clean energy and displace over 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. They will also save 1.6 million litres of diesel fuel annually; supporting the Islands’ efforts to diversify its energy mix and meet each nation’s individual renewable energy targets.
In addition, the projects are set to drive economic growth, job creation and sustainable development across the Islands.
Masdar CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi said in a statement: “The projects coming online as part of Cycle 2 of the UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund represent a model for what the public and private sectors can achieve by working together. With the support of our UAE partners and the governments of the island nations, Masdar has been able to deploy innovative, small-scale projects that meet the needs of the local communities.
“Through these projects, Masdar is not only helping to advance socio-economic growth, but it is also showcasing a new delivery model for advancing the global sustainability agenda and taking action on climate change.”
Further to the environmental benefits of the projects, under the terms of the UAE-PPF, Masdar has trained the operators of the power generation assets, thereby supporting skills training within local communities and supplementing regional capacity-building.
The UAE-PPF was launched on the fringes of the January 2012 Pacific Leaders’ Meeting of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), where renewable energy was pinpointed as a key driver for economic growth for the regions. The Partnership is funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development and is overseen by the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Masdar is heading up the design and implementation of projects under the Partnership, and under the first cycle, completed several small-scale wind and solar projects across Kiribati, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Abu Dhabi’s largest renewable energy firm continues to expand its international reach, having recently completed 30MW utility-scale projects in Egypt and entering a partnership with Chinese rechargeable battery, electric transport and clean energy company BYD last month.
