UAE-Backed Masdar Expands Solar Footprint to Comoros

UAE-based renewable energy company Masdar has completed a solar and battery storage project in Comoros, its latest move into African island nations, delivering three plants totalling about 20 megawatts that are expected to cut the country's near-total reliance on imported diesel.

The project, financed with around AED 84.4 million ($22.9 million) from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) and managed by Global South Utilities (GSU), was inaugurated by Comoros President Azali Assoumani.

It comprises 12.86 megawatts of solar capacity on Grande Comore, 4.05 megawatts on Anjouan and 3.1 megawatts on Moheli, along with 8 megawatts/16 megawatt-hours of battery energy storage system (BESS) capacity, a technology that stores surplus solar power generated during the day for use after dark, across Grande Comore and Anjouan.

The build-out also included about 30 kilometres of medium-voltage transmission lines to connect the new plants to Comoros' grid.

Deal adds to UAE's growing African renewables portfolio

The Comoros project extends a pattern of UAE state-backed entities financing renewable energy infrastructure across Africa, with Masdar and the ADFD increasingly positioning themselves as financiers for smaller and often overlooked electricity markets, including island nations that traditionally struggle to attract large-scale international investment.

Masdar said the plants are expected to generate about 33.75 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to supply around 17,500 households.

For Comoros, the stakes are high. Imported diesel accounted for 91% of the country's energy mix in 2024, and the country recorded around 3,000 power outages that year, reflecting the vulnerability of relying almost entirely on shipped-in fuel for electricity generation.

The new solar and storage capacity is intended to diversify Comoros' generation mix, meet rising electricity demand and reduce that exposure to global fuel prices and import logistics.