Masdar, UAE announced in a statement that it has signed agreements at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2023 with three countries – Angola, Uganda and Zambia – to develop renewable energy projects with a combined capacity of up to 5 gigawatts (GW).
The agreements were signed under the umbrella of the Etihad 7 initiative, a UAE-led initiative that aims to raise public- and private-sector funds to invest in the development of Africa’s renewable energy sector. Etihad 7 was launched at ADSW 2022 by HE Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State in the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) with the aim of achieving 20 GW capacity to supply 100 million people across the continent with clean electricity by 2035.
The agreements signed under the Etihad 7 umbrella at ADSW 2023 are:
- An agreement with Angola’s Ministry of Energy and Water for the development of renewable energy projects with a total capacity of 2 GW.
- An agreement with Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development for the development of greenfield renewable projects with a total installed capacity of 1 GW.
- An agreement with Zambia’s Ministry of Energy, and Zambian national utility ZESCO Limited for the joint development of develop solar, wind, and hydroelectricity projects with a total capacity of 2 GW.
Last August, Masdar also signed an agreement with TANESCO, the sole provider of electricity in Tanzania, to develop renewable energy projects with a total capacity of up to 2 GW, also under the umbrella of the Etihad 7 program. The two parties are in the process of finalizing the establishment of a joint venture company to advance this strategic collaboration.
