Projects

Located in the Surkhandarya Province of Uzbekistan, UAE-based renewable energy company and ETAF partner Masdar will develop a 457 MW utility-scale solar PV project near the city of Sherabad, powering close to 500,000 homes with clean electricity. Upon connection to the Uzbek grid, the project will mitigate around 445,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. ETAF partner Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is taking part in the debt financing of the project, together with development banks ADB, EBRD and EIB.

The planned Jizzakh Solar PV project fits within the agreement between the Republic of Uzbekistan, the National Electric grid and Masdar to foster development of renewable energy in the region. Masdar, the leading renewable energy company from the UAE, has a footing in Uzbekistan, marked with the 2021 completion of the 100 MW Nur Navoi solar project and 500 MW Zarafshan wind farm, currently under construction. With the potential to mitigate 237,000 tonnes of CO2 and power 264,000 homes, the project demonstrates significant sustainability benefits for the region. The successful cooperation between ETAF partners Masdar and AIIB contributed to the timely financial close of the project.

The 220 MW Samarkand Solar PV project will be a noteworthy step in Uzbekistan’s ambitious national goal to develop 7 GW of solar capacity by 2030. With Masdar as the project developer and AIIB as one of the debt financiers of the solar plant, Masdar and AIIB are providing capital to the project under the ETAF initiative. The plant will cover the electricity consumption of 264,000 households in Uzbekistan while avoiding 237,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually in the country.

In a significant move towards sustainable energy, the Central Electricity Board (CEB) of Mauritius, in collaboration with the Government of Mauritius and with a USD 10 million loan from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) under the IRENA/ADFD Project Facility, launched the Home Solar Project (HSP). With a total investment of USD 20 million, this ambitious initiative aims to install solar PV systems on 10,000 households across the island, steering Mauritius towards a greener, more sustainable future. Boasting a combined capacity of 10 megawatts (MW), the project is set to slash carbon emissions by 15,000 tonnes annually and save USD 400,000 on diesel fuel imports, significantly reducing electricity costs for residents. This venture is a testament to Mauritius' dedication to achieving 60% renewable energy by 2030, marking a crucial step in diminishing the island's reliance on fossil fuels and showcasing the profound socio-economic and environmental advantages of renewable energy.

Togolese Government inaugurated one of the largest solar projects in West Africa and the first renewable energy facility in the country in July 2021. The now fully operational 50-megawatt (MW) Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed solar power plant, financed under the IRENA-ADFD Project Facility, will supply reliable, clean electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the country. The new plant has the capacity to provide electricity to nearly 160,000 homes and small businesses, significantly reducing the country’s dependence on firewood, charcoal and fuel imports for energy consumption. The project will also advance the Togolese national clean energy strategy to increase the share of renewables in electrification to 50 per cent by 2025 and 100 per cent by 2030.

In 2019, Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines together with the ADFD and IRENA inaugurated a new 10 megawatt (MW) solar PV project in the country. The grid-connected project was financed by ADFD under the IRENA/ADFD Project Facility and will deliver enough electricity to power the equivalent of nearly 7,000 Cuban homes. The project contributes to the Cuban government’s national objectives to reduce the use of fossil fuels for electricity generation and increase the share of power from renewables to 24 per cent by 2030. The project mitigates around 12,700 tCO2e emissions annually.

Since July 2019, the Vandhoo Regional Waste Management Centre started power generation with the intent of managing waste from the Atolls of Noonu, Raa, Baa and Lhaviyani. The facility benefitted from ADFD’s concessional loan assistance facilitated through IRENA. The facility services 20 islands (including 11 resorts) with improved waste collection and management. The procurement of the contractor for the Addu facility was completed in 2019 and the project is expected to be fully completed in 2021.

The construction of the 6 MW solar PV park at Newton town near Freetown started in 2018 and completed in 2020. The plant has the capacity to generate about 8.76 GWh of electricity annually, improving grid stability and boosting supply during peak demand while also reducing dependence of fossil-based electricity supply for Freetown’s 190,000 inhabitants. The project also created employment opportunities and the subsequent acquisition of technical skills through training on installation, operations and maintenance of solar PV power plants in the region.