Minister of Climate Change, Environment, and Energy Thoriq Ibrahim has announced plans to extend renewable energy infrastructure to 160 additional islands with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He made the announcement while speaking at a ceremony to review and update the energy roadmap.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Thoriq emphasised the government's commitment to scaling up renewable electricity production across the Maldives. Highlighting collaborative efforts with the ADB, he outlined initiatives to implement renewable energy systems in the islands. He detailed plans to transition power generation on 160 islands to hybrid systems through the Preparing Outer Islands for Sustainable Energy Development (POISED) project, facilitated by ADB. He said that the systems would incorporate solar energy storage in batteries to ensure consistent electricity supply.
During the ceremony, Minister Thoriq and an ADB representative inaugurated the Accelerating Sustainable System Development using Renewable Energy (ASSURE) project. The minister said that the initiative aims to foster increased private investment in renewable energy, with specific plans to install 20 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) and 40 MW of battery storage across 20 islands.
The government's commitment to renewable energy stems from the expenditure of approximately USD49 million on fuel imports for electricity generation. President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has outlined targets, aiming to elevate the share of renewable energy in the national electricity mix to 33% by the end of the term. Currently, renewable sources contribute just 4% to the Maldives' electricity generation.