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.