Photo: Courtesy of gpointstudio 

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Funds US $50 Million Project for Renewable Energy in Dominica 

The Commonwealth of Dominica is slated to receive the largest renewable energy investment of its type in the region: a US $50 million 5-megawatt/2.5 megawatt-hours battery energy storage system.  

This battery-only project is in part financed by Dominica's government. However, the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract to build the hurricane-resistant clean energy project is funded by the UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund (UAE-CREF), which is fully financed by Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) (thecaribbeannewsnow). 

Masdar, one of the world's leading renewable energy companies, is spearheading the design and implementation of the project, which will support Dominica's clean energy objectives. The battery will also stabilize the electricity grid, provide reserve power and frequency control, and provide an additional level of climate resilience, mitigating the impact of extreme weather events (wam.ae). 

The battery storage system complements existing and ongoing energy generation projects in Dominica, enabling an increased share of renewable energy deployment without adverse impact to the grid (wam.ae). As a result, it will allow heightened renewable energy penetration from existing hydropower and future geothermal sources (wam.ae).  

In a sentiment of gratitude to the UAE Government for its significant contribution towards his country's development, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Dr. Roosevelt Skeritt, stated, "The 5MW battery storage system will enable us to move more quickly to the transition from fossil fuel to renewable sources of energy in the electricity sector. We look forward to continued partnership with the UAE in the area of sustainable development and other areas of mutual interest both bilaterally and multilaterally" (wam.ae).  

The UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund was launched at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2017 as a partnership between the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC), Masdar, and ADFD--the UAE's leading financial institution spearheading national and global development projects (wam.ae). 

According to Sultan Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Development Affairs at MoFAIC, "Since its founding as a nation, the UAE has been committed to promoting global peace and prosperity and supporting other countries' development" (wam.ae). 

Sources: 

carilec.org 

thecaribbeannewsnow.com 

wam.ae