Cape Verde invests in wind energy and storage

In Cape Verde, the Cabeolica company has obtained approval from the authorities to expand its wind energy production capacity on the island of Santiago. The company will also invest in electricity storage.

Cape Verde’s renewable energy production capacity will increase in the near future. This promise has been made by the company Cabeolica, which has obtained approval from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Energy of Cape Verde to execute its new project, which will require an investment of 50 million dollars.

It is about expanding its wind generation capacity on the island of Santiago from 9 to 22 MW. The investment will also allow the construction of two electricity storage systems of 9 MW/5 MWh in Santiago and 6 MW/6 MWh on the island of Sal. According to Alexandre Monteiro, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Energy of Cape Verde, “the “Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are essential to stabilize the grid and store surplus renewable energy.”
The largest producer of renewable energy in Cape Verde

He adds that the Cabeolica project will increase the proportion of renewable energy in Cape Verde’s electricity mix to 30% by 2025, up from 20% currently. This will allow the archipelago off the coast of West Africa to save 1 million euros each year on imports of the fuel that powers its thermal power plants.

With an installed capacity of 400 MW, Cape Verde obtains up to 80% of its electricity from thermal power stations, according to the Portuguese-speaking Association for Renewable Energies (ALER). Cabeolica, which supplies 17% of Cape Verde’s electricity, was set up as part of a public-private partnership (PPP) between the government and the investment company Africa Finance Corporation (AFC).

The company has installed 30 wind turbines on four of Cape Verde’s nine islands: Boa Vista, São Vicente, Sal and Santiago. These turbines have a total capacity of 25.5 MW and supply 25% of the archipelago’s electricity demand. Since 2021, the company has been 40% owned by fund manager A.P.Moller Capital, 50% by AFC and 6% by the State of Cape Verde.

Jean Marie Takouleu, afrik21.africa