Sustainable energy from wind for island nations

The Context

The Pacific islands region, including New Caledonia, faces increasing environmental and socioeconomic pressures exacerbated by global climate change and climate variability. Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), small island developing states are recognised as being particularly vulnerable to climate change. Pacific island countries are already severely affected by climate variability and extremes, and they remain extremely vulnerable to future changes.

The Project

This project involves six wind farms located in two different sites, Kafeate and Prony, on the island of New Caledonia. The sites were installed by the company Aerowatt and consists of 116 wind turbines providing a total capacity of 31 MW with an estimated yearly production of 40 GWh of electricity. This is then exported to the New Caledonian grid. The project therefore replaces grid electricity that is 80% produced by fossil-fuel power plants.

The Benefits

By reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in electricity generation, this project makes a significant contribution to climate action both in New Caledonia and globally. The project has boosted local small economies by creating local employment during both the construction and operational phases, also stimulating technology and know-how transfer. In addition, it proves the viability of sustainable development in vulnerable island nations, promoting climate awareness and future climate action for the Pacific Island region.