Abu Dhabi-funded solar project to light up Somaliland

  • Date: 15-Jan-2021
  • Source: Trade Arabia
  • Sector:Oil & Gas
  • Country:UAE
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Abu Dhabi-funded solar project to light up Somaliland

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) funded solar energy project at Berbera City in the African nation of Somaliland has been connected to the local electricity grid. It will meet the increasing demand of the entire city of approximately 50,000 people.

 

Set up at a cost of AED29.3 million, the 7-megawatt Berbera Hybrid Mini-grid Project is seen as a game changer for the city, as it will significantly bring down energy tariffs, apart from supporting economic development and reducing the country's carbon footprint. 

 

The expansion of Berbera city has created additional demand, which the plant will fulfil.

 

The project was launched by Abdirahman Abdilahi Ismail, Vice President of the Republic of Somaliland, under the auspices of Jama Mohamoud Egal, Minister of Energy and Minerals, in the presence of officials and dignitaries from both sides.

 

Commenting on the occasion, Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director-General of ADFD, expressed satisfaction over the completion of the project in a record time of seven months, from March to October 2020, overcoming the obstacles created by the coronavirus pandemic. 

 

"Our renewable-energy project in Berbera will play a strategic role in our larger effort to sustainably drive up the economy and raise the standard of living in benefited area," he said, adding