Controversial highway solar system to switch on in November
The announce comes days after President-elect Dr Mohamed Muizzu said he would relocate the installation to one or two islands.
By
Mariyam Umna Ismail
Environment ministry announced on Monday that the solar panels being installed on the Male-Hulhumale highway will be used starting from next month.
The announce comes days after President-elect Dr Mohamed Muizzu said he would relocate the installation to one or two islands.
The World Bank-funded project's communications officer Ifad Waheed said on Monday that the installation of solar panels has been completed. The next step will be to connect to the STELCO grid panels, he said.
"The contractor informs us that the work will also be completed by the first week of next month. So the solar panels will be in use next month," he said.
The government initially aimed to complete the project by 2021. However, the project was delayed due to difficulties in procuring materials due to global supply chain problems, according to the government. The ministry then aimed to complete the project by March this year.
President-elect Dr. Muizzu has said that the solar panels will be removed from the highway and relocated to another island or two in Maldives. He said the vista from the highway was blocked and the road looks congested due to the solar panels being installed along the highway.
When asked about it, Ifad declined to comment.
As part of the World Bank-funded Accelerating Sustainable Private Investment in Renewable Energy (ASPIRE) project, Thailand's Encis Co Ltd was awarded the contract to set up a solar power generation system on the greater Male area link road in November 2020.
Project Summary:
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Power generation is expected to start by next month
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The system is designed to be capable of capturing wind speeds of up to 115 km per hour
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5 MW solar power to be generated per day
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7.3 million power units to be generated annually
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The rate at which generated solar power is sold to STELCO is 10.09 cents per unit (MVR 1.681)
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Encis Co will maintain the system for 15 years, after which STELCO will take over the system
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MVR 15-20 million can be saved annually from fuel expenditure
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This will be the largest solar panel installation in the country so far
