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Cabeólica S.A., owner of the four wind farms on the islands of Santiago, São Vicente, Sal and Boa Vista in Cape Verde, has signed an MoU for the expansion of its facilities. The MoU targets an expansion of the Santiago facility at Monte São Filipe by 13 MW, along with the installation of 2 x 5 MW energy storage batteries on the islands of Santiago and Sal. Cabeolica was sub-Saharan Africa’s first commercial-scale wind power project upon its commissioning in 2011. It was led by the Africa Finance Corporation and co-developed with InfraCo Africa and the Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation. In 2021, A.P. Moller Capital acquired a 44% stake in Cabeólica S.A. from the Africa Finance Corporation through the Africa Infrastructure Fund. Cabeolica now provides 20% of the power generated in Cape Verde, displacing 15 million liters of imported diesel every year. It was recognised by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project in 2013. “The Cabeolica Wind Farm is Cape Verde’s single highest contributor to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions ( an average of 47,000 tons of CO2 per annum ) and this expansion will play a significant part in further reducing the country’s dependence on fossil fuels in line with its renewable energy penetration target of 30% by 2025,” the Africa Finance Corporation said.
Shell has revealed its intention to acquire Daystar Power in a bid to deliver carbon emission reductions and power cost savings to commercial and industrial (C&I) businesses in Africa. The acquisition is expected to help Daystar Power further expand beyond West Africa and into East and Southern Africa, and help grow its installed capacity to 400 MW by 2025. Africa’s solar C&I segment has witnessed significant demand in recent years, supporting the growth of several African renewable energy solutions providers. Earlier this month, AIIM and Helios-backed Starsight Energy agreed on its merger with SolarAfrica to develop a pipeline of some 1 GW of C&I projects across the continent. Shell has sought to increasingly tap into Africa’s power market while divesting from some key oil assets, especially in Nigeria. At the end of 2021, it notably launched a Shell Energy Nigeria with the aim of delivering competitive and reliable energy for power generation and industrial users via gas distribution networks.
