Alternative energy has become part of the UAE's international aid efforts, after Masdar yesterday launched a solar plant in Mauritania.
The 15-megawatt solar array, constructed by Masdar and funded by the UAE Government, will increase the country's power generation capacity by 10 per cent during sunlight hours, Masdar said.
It is the largest photovoltaic (PV) solar plant in Africa, according to Masdar.
"Electrification, through sustainable sources of energy, is critical in ensuring our people have access to basic services and is a step toward improving our infrastructure and long-term economic development," Mauritania's president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, said at the launch.
The Sheikh Zayed plant in the country's capital, Nouakchott, provides electricity to 10,000 homes.
Developing new sources of power is crucial for the country, as demand is growing at 12 per cent per annum in Mauritania, a Maghreb state in West Africa with a population of about 3.5 million.
"Renewable energy has the potential to be a major contributor to the energy mix in developing countries where access to conventional energy is limited," said Sultan Al Jaber, Masdar's chief executive.
"With energy demand expected to nearly double by 2030, renewable energy will play an increasingly important role." The solar plant is operated by the Société Mauritanienne D'electricité, Mauritania's government utility.
The country's conventional power generation capacity lies at 144MW, most of which is produced by costly and polluting diesel generators.
Masdar, Mubadala's clean energy subsidiary, last month launched the 100MW Shams-1 concentrated solar power (CSP) plant in Abu Dhabi, the largest of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.
The company is tasked with building a renewable energy portfolio that will provide the emirate with 7 per cent of its electricity by 2020. It is also looking for business abroad, and Masdar has identified Africa as a growth market. After a slow start, Mena has woken up to the potential of solar power and major programmes have been initiated in Saudi Arabia and North African countries.
Masdar is keen to use its expertise to capitalise on regional solar ambitions. It can now boast experience in launching both CSP and PV solar technologies in desert conditions.
Over the past 35 years, the UAE has handed out US$35 billion (Dh128.55bn) in loans, grants and assistance in development projects, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Last year, the UAE was the 16th largest foreign aid donor, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which calculated the percentage of gross national income given as aid.
