2023-09-06 11:12:17
Sep 6, 2023 15:11 Objective
The UAE’s record in empowering African countries to enhance their capabilities in the field of clean energy is full of many achievements and remarkable initiatives, in line with its approach and pioneering role in strengthening efforts to confront the repercussions of climate change around the world. Yesterday, the announcement of an Emirati financing initiative worth 16.5 billion dirhams to enhance Africa’s capabilities in the field of clean energy came as the culmination of a historic path of joint cooperation between the UAE and the countries of the African continent to accelerate efforts to protect natural resources and enhance their sustainability, through the establishment, development and operation of a wide range of generating programs and projects. Energy from the sun, wind, and other clean energy solutions. The initiative falls under the umbrella of “Union 7”, which is a development program launched by the UAE during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in 2022 with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and aims to provide 100 million people across the African continent with clean electricity by 2035, which gives it additional importance. to the number of beneficiaries. The 54 countries of the African continent least cause climate change and contribute less than 4 percent of global emissions, but they are the most affected by its repercussions. For example, Africa loses 4 million hectares of agricultural land annually as a result of these repercussions, in addition to droughts and food insecurity that force People migrate, weaken biodiversity and affect lives and livelihoods. Faced with this reality, the UAE moved towards Africa early and many years ago to contribute to the financing and implementation of renewable energy projects in a large number of countries on the continent, which had a tangible impact in accelerating sustainable development efforts in those countries. The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development was one of the most prominent executive arms of the UAE’s plans and initiatives to enhance environmental sustainability efforts in the African continent and help its countries face the challenges of climate change and preserve their natural resources. Renewable energy projects implemented or funded by the Fund on the African continent have contributed to improving the living conditions of millions of people, in addition to their role in reducing harmful emissions to the environment and contributing to limiting the repercussions of climate change. The fund’s list of projects in Africa includes the “Mohammed bin Zayed Solar Energy Complex” project in the province of Bleta in the Republic of Togo, which operates with a production capacity of 70 megawatts, and the hybrid energy project (solar and wind) in the Cape Verde Islands, which provides about 2 megawatts of renewable energy. and a solar photovoltaic power plant project on Romenville Island in the Seychelles with a production capacity of 5 megawatts. In Mali, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development financed a solar energy project with a capacity of 6 megawatts to feed 30 rural cities inhabited by approximately 145,000 people, in addition to a solar photovoltaic power plant project in Senegal that aims to supply about 100 rural villages with electricity. The fund also financed the construction of a 6-megawatt solar power plant in Freetown, Sierra Leone, the 10-megawatt Toshka solar power plant in Egypt, and the 6-megawatt solar power plant in the Comoros. In Mauritania, the Fund has financed the construction of 4 wind power plants capable of generating 270 kilowatts to feed 4 coastal cities. For its part, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company “Masdar”, one of the world’s leading companies in the field of renewable energy, continues its ambitious strategy to expand renewable energy projects in Africa, aiming to provide clean electricity to 100 million people by 2035. Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company “Masdar” announced During Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2023, agreements were signed with 3 African countries, Angola, Uganda and Zambia, to develop renewable energy projects with a total capacity of 5 gigawatts. The agreements came under the umbrella of the “Union 7” program, and included an agreement with the Angolan Ministry of Energy and Water to develop renewable energy projects with a total capacity of 2 gigawatts, an agreement with the Ugandan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to develop renewable energy projects with a total capacity of 1 gigawatt, and an agreement with the Zambian Ministry of Energy and Utilities. Zambian national government to develop solar, wind and hydropower projects with a total capacity of 2 GW. “Masdar” signed an agreement with the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum and Energy in the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire to explore ways to develop a solar power plant with a production capacity of up to 70 megawatts, and the beginning of 2022 witnessed the announcement of an exchange of agreement between “Masdar” and the Ethiopian government to develop a project for “solar photovoltaic energy.” » With a capacity of 500 megawatts, with the aim of developing up to 2,000 megawatts of similar projects inside Ethiopia. In August 2022, Masdar announced the signing of an agreement with Tanzania Electricity Company Limited, Tanesco, to develop renewable energy projects with a total capacity of 2 gigawatts, and in March 2021 it announced its agreement with the government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to develop solar energy projects with a total capacity of 500 tons MW at multiple sites in Ethiopia. In turn, the Sheikh Zayed Solar Photovoltaic Plant, developed by Masdar in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, contributes to generating 15 megawatts of energy. Upon its completion, it was the largest solar energy project in Africa and the first solar plant to generate electricity on the scale of service facilities in the country. Masdar, in partnership with the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water in the Kingdom of Morocco, led the solar home energy systems project, which included the installation of 19,438 home solar energy systems in more than 1,000 Moroccan villages. In Egypt, Masdar has developed three solar power plants in the New Valley Governorate, which is the largest sparsely populated area in Egypt, while the 10-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant, Sha’ab al-Emarat, in Siwa, was the largest solar power plant when it was installed in March 2015. In the same context, the Port Victoria Wind Power Plant, developed and launched by Masdar, is the first major renewable energy project in the Republic of Seychelles.
Source: WAM
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