Fully solar powered Maldives resort sets new standard in green tourism

Arriving at Gasfinolhu Island, the eye is greeted by solar panels, thatch roofs, white sand and turquoise water. Solar panels shade the long walkway onto the island and cover the roofs of all the utility buildings.

The sparsely vegetated sandbank, approximately 40 minutes from Malé, is the first 100 percent solar-powered luxury resort in the world.

Standing inside the resort’s silent powerhouse, Gasfinolhu owner ‘Champa’ Hussain Afeef said, “The happiest moments are when I can see that the lights are still functioning after all the diesel generators have been switched off.”

Gasfinolhu’s 6,500 square meters of solar panel are capable of producing 1100 Kilowatts at power peak. The island at full occupancy only requires 600 Kilowatts at peak load.

Afeef, one of the pioneers of tourism in the Maldives, said he had first thought of the project in 2009 when Maldives announced it would become the world’s first carbon neutral country in 2020.

“We wanted to do something different. I believe renewable energy is not just the future for tourism, but for all other industries as well,” he said.

Pioneers

Praising the project, Environmental Consultant Ahmed Shaig, says Gasfinolhu sets very high standards for the tourism sector.

The resort’s power system is entirely automated, with computers programmed to switch between direct solar power, battery power, or diesel generators, as required.

Excess power generated during the day is stored in an extensive battery system, capable of powering the resort throughout the night. Three diesel generators are also on standby in case there are successive days of rain and the batteries run out.

In addition to the solar power system, Gasfinolhu also relies on a centralised chiller system that uses chilled water to cool air for air-conditioning.  Its harbor is set close to the reef’s edge to facilitate the shifting of sand in the lagoon with the monsoon, thereby minimising beach erosion.

A zero waste management system will also be installed on the island in the future, Shaig said.

Debunking myths

According to Ibrahim Nashid, the chairman of Renewable Energy Maldives Pvt Ltd, Gasfinolhu demonstrates that “it is possible to provide power from indigenous energy sources without compromising luxury comfort.”

The project also debunks several myths on the use of solar energy in the Maldives, Nashid said, stating that critics believe solar power is not suitable in the Maldives due to lack of space and its salty environment.

“They also say that it would deter from aesthetics on a luxury resort, but Gasfinolhu destroys all of these myths. Its architecture is beautiful, some have said it’s the solar paneled spaces on the island that are the most beautiful,” he said.

The Maldives’ 109 resorts use 49 percent of the US$470 million diesel imported into the country annually. The figure amounts to over a third of the country’s GDP. The capital Malé uses 90 percent of the inhabited islands’ energy consumption.

If the resorts and Malé transition to renewable energy, it frees up state funds for health and education, and increases the country’s energy security, Nashid said.

“Others will follow”

According to Afeef, Gasfinolhu will recover the US$8 million spent on the solar system within six to seven years.

Without solar power, Gasfinolhu would spend over US$1.5 million for fuel to power its 22 rooms on the beach front and 30 water bungalows. A typical resort with 200 or 300 beds would spend over US$4million fuel a year, he said.

“I hope this initiative will turn out to be a success. And I hope to see more and more resort developers employing such technologies in the future,” he said.

However, he noted already existing resorts would not find it cost-effective to transition to solar power all at once.

The transition would have to come gradually, by redesigning and converting facilities that consume electricity most such as laundry, desalination plant and kitchen to solar power first, he said.

“Everything is a risk. Someone has to do it first. Then, others will follow.”

The resort, developed by Global Pvt Ltd will be operated by Club Med and will open for business in January 2015.



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MTDC sells Herethera resort for US$33 million

The Maldives Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has sold the Herethera Island Resort in Addu City for US$33 million to Singapore’s Canaries Private Ltd.

Of the four companies that submitted bids following a public announcement to sell the resort on December 18, MTDC said in a press release on Monday (March 31) that the Singaporean company submitted the highest bid.

The agreement to transfer lease holder rights for the resort was signed on March 31.

The press release also noted that following the sale of the resort property the MTDC has repaid a loan obtained from the Bank of Maldives for developing the resort.

In June 2013, MTDC’s board of directors decided to sell Herethera – the government-owned company’s biggest asset – for US$30 million to a company with a majority stake owned by local tourism magnate ‘Champa’ Hussain Afeef.

MTDC Managing Director Mohamed Matheen told newspaper Haveeru at the time that the decision was made to sell Herethera to Afeef’s Treetop Investment Pvt Ltd because the government corporation did not have the finances to profitably operate the resort.

He added that a large investment was needed to fix problems with the beach and the environment of the resort in the southernmost atoll.

Herethera was the first resort developed and opened by MTDC while Afeef was chairman of the government’s tourism company.

Tourism pioneer Afeef meanwhile told the local daily that the Herethera development would take place in conjunction with the development of the international airport in Gan.

In November 2012, thirty percent of the Addu International Airport Ltd (AIAL) was sold to Afeef’s Kasa Holdings to raise finances to develop the Gan airport in Addu City.

However, the decision to sell the resort to Afeef was reversed following the election of President Abdulla Yameen.

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Bank of Maldives sends MTDC notice for repayment of Herethere development loan

The Bank of Maldives Plc Ltd (BML) has sent notice to the government-owned Maldives Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) to settle US$17.5 million overdue from a US$25 million loan provided to develop the Herethere resort in Addu City.

According to Sun Online, while the  loan requires a payment of $435,000 per month until February next year, the government tourism was sent notice by the national bank over non-payment of US$700,000 in line with the scheduled repayments.

“We wanted to sell the resort and completely pay off the bank loan. But the company’s work has come to a halt because of the delay, as the government is unable to appoint directors to the company’s board. We want to sell the resort as soon as possible and complete the repayment of the loan,” an MTDC official was quoted as saying.

Earlier this month, the MTDC board of directors decided to sell its biggest asset, Herethere resort, for US$30 million to a company with a majority stake owned by local tourism magnate ‘Champa’ Hussain Afeef.

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MTDC to sell Herethere resort for US$30 million

The Maldives Tourism Development Corporation’s (MTDC’s) board of directors has decided to sell the government-owned company’s biggest asset, Herethere resort in Addu City, for US$30 million to a company with a majority stake owned by local tourism magnate ‘Champa’ Hussain Afeef.

MTDC Managing Director Mohamed Matheen told newspaper Haveeru yesterday that the decision was made to sell Herethere to Afeef’s Treetop Investment Pvt Ltd because the government corporation did not have the finances to profitably operate the resort.

He added that a large investment was needed to fix problems with the beach and the environment of the resort in the southernmost atoll.

Herethere was the first resort developed and opened by MTDC while Afeef was chairman of the government’s tourism company.

Tourism pioneer Afeef meanwhile told the local daily that the Herethere development would take place in conjunction with the development of the international airport in Gan.

In November 2012, thirty percent of the Addu International Airport Ltd (AIAL) was sold to Afeef’s Kasa Holdings to raise finances to develop the Gan airport in Addu City.

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