The new hybrid solar power plant the Humanitarian Hub in Malakal, South Sudan © IOM 2020 / Omar Patan
Juba– The Humanitarian Hub in Malakal, in the Upper Nile State of South Sudan is reducing its carbon footprint following the successful installation and now fully operational hybrid solar power plant.
Managed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the plant will generate 900MWH of power and meet 80 percent of electricity demands in the Malakal facility, a ‘humanitarian hub’ that is base for 300 humanitarian workers from 34 humanitarian organizations in the area.
Together those workers serve nearly 30,000 internally displaced persons living in the adjacent United Nations Protection of Civilians (PoC) site as well as nearby vulnerable communities, including other migrants, living throughout Upper Nile State and parts of Jonglei State.
The hybrid solar power facility will generate electricity for office space and accommodations for humanitarian organizations and staff. The Hub had been using some 800 litres of diesel daily, which now will be significantly offset.
“The launch of the solar power plant could not have come at a better time,” said IOM’s Head of Sub-Office in Malakal, Arshad Rashid. “The restrictions on cross-border movement put in place by governments as a result of COVID-19 has meant delays in the fuel supply, and fluctuating costs of fuel needed to run generators. With solar power, we will be able to generate reliable and clean energy.”
The solar power plant has been developed by Norway’s Scatec Solar and Kube Energy, and part funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). With its installation, current energy costs will be reduced by an estimated 18 per cent, which includes a significant reduction in CO2 emissions and noise pollution.
“We are thrilled to have completed this project for IOM and the Humanitarian Hub in Malakal. Given the considerable challenges of operating in South Sudan brought about by protracted war and harsh weather conditions especially during the rainy season, completion of the project in just over a year is a sizeable achievement,” said Raymond Carlsen, CEO of Scatec Solar.
According to IOM South Sudan’s Chief of Mission Jean-Philippe Chauzy, the development of the plant is consistent with the UN’s SDGs on Affordable and Clean Energy.
“South Sudan enjoys sunshine year-round. Even during the rainy season, we still have long periods of sun, so this bid to shift to solar power was a no brainer,” Mr. Chauzy explained. “It made absolute sense to fully optimize the power of the sun in this way. Investing in renewable energy is investing in a sustainable future and the launch of this innovative project will undoubtedly help us path a way towards the use of more renewable energy systems within the humanitarian sector.”
*For more information, please contact Liatile Putsoa at IOM South Sudan, Tel: +211912380104, Email: **
Newer articles:
- Gunmen assassinate South Sudan MP in Uganda - 06/06/2020 18:00
- Interview: South Sudan envoy commends China's COVID-19 medical supplies assistance - 06/06/2020 06:16
- South Sudan Businessman Kerbino Agok Wol Takes Up Arms - 05/06/2020 23:43
- MC student, South Sudan native helps support refugees through food - 05/06/2020 21:47
- Limerick woman preventing spread of COVID-19 in South Sudan - 05/06/2020 07:02
Older news items
- Mabior Garang resigns over peace deal - 05/06/2020 02:39
- South Sudan denies allowing Egyptian base on its land - 05/06/2020 01:28
- South Sudan Leader Sacks 2 Top Officials - 04/06/2020 04:35
- South Sudan president's relative shoots, kills 5 persons in Juba - 04/06/2020 04:09
- COVID-19: South Sudan rumor tracking overview - Issue #3 - 04/06/2020 03:51
Latest news items (all categories):
- علاقة عقيمة من طرف واحد - 12/04/2024 01:25
- Press Release - International poetry initiative seeks poems on African experiences of migration - 04/04/2024 23:28
- South Sudan oil revenue dwindles - 31/03/2024 00:46
- The decline of Equatoria and emergence of Jieng tribal power in South Sudan - 30/03/2024 23:10
- Both SPLM-IG's No-extension and SPLM-IO's Extension Proposals are all means for No 2024 Elections - 24/03/2024 23:14
Random articles (all categories):
- Egypt's foreign minister in South Sudan to boost relations - 12/03/2018 10:33
- Harassed South Sudan church closes seminary - Catholic San Francisco - 17/10/2012 03:44
- Telling the truth get you in trouble and lying set you free, this is the tragedy of South Sudan - 20/03/2021 17:00
- Israel starts rounding up South Sudanese for deportation - Radio Netherlands - 11/06/2012 15:06
- South Sudan rebels, short on supplies, draw on determination - 31/08/2017 08:27
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 30692 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 21838 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 20721 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 17193 times
- With prisons full, South Sudan to introduce mobile courts to clear backlog of cases - 11/10/2012 11:29 - Read 14194 times