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Soluna Technologies based in New York has been involved in the political controversy over Western Sahara, having announced plans for a project combining renewable energy and blockchain computing in the disputed Territory
Soluna plans to develop a 900 MW wind farm near the city of Dakhla, which will power a blockchain computing structure, blockchain is the basis for energy-hungry processes such as the extraction of Bitcoin and other crypts. currencies: 19659002] Digiconomo at the beginning of August 2018 bitcoin mining consumed about 73 terawatt hours of energy per year, more than the total consumption of some medium-sized countries like Chile and Venezuela.
Using renewable energy, Soluna He says it will help make the process more environmentally sustainable. "Our vision is to fuel the blockchain with clean, renewable energy," says Joh n Belizaire, CEO of Soluna.
Th The company's Dakhla project covers 37,000 acres in an area known for its constant winds. Soluna plans to develop the site in phases, with the first phase comprising 36 MW of energy production capacity and 18 MW of processing facilities. This first phase will cost $ 100 million. In total, it will take five years to complete the project, with a cost of up to $ 2.5 billion.
A stretch of coast near Dakhla, Western Sahara, photographed on February 26, 2013 (Photo: Raquel Maria Carbonell Pagola / LightRocket via Getty Images)
The development of the site began in 2009 by the Moroccan company A.M. Wind, a subsidiary of the German wind energy specialist Altus. Soluna & nbsp; it was established at the beginning of this year, supported by the private equity firm Brookstone Partners, and subsequently acquired A.M. Wind.
The announcement of the Dakhla project has provoked criticism from activists who campaign for the independence of Western Sahara that they say that the Moroccan authorities do not have the right to grant licenses for such projects. Dakhla "is located on the ground under foreign military occupation.Any agreement that Brookstone has signed with the Moroccan government for that particular area is therefore null," says Sara Eyckmans, coordinator of the Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW).
After the departure of the Spanish colonial governor in 1975, the area around Dakhla was first conquered by Mauritania and then by Morocco. This last hour claims Western Sahara as an integral part of its territory, but this claim is not recognized by the UN or by many others.
In October 2015, the UN Economic and Social Council invited Morocco to guarantee the indigenous local population gave their "preventive, free and informed consent" to any development of the natural resources of the territory. Recent rulings by the European Court of Justice have confirmed that Western Sahara should be treated as distinct from Morocco.
Belizaire states that his company is "aware of the political sensitivity of the region and our investments in Dakhla fully Respect of the international legal status of this territory." He added that "We have and will continue to conduct our activities in strict accordance with the governmental laws of the region We are also conscientious of the importance of ensuring that our project is aligned with the principles that the interest of the inhabitants of these territories is fundamental. "
Belizaire states that his company plans a series of initiatives to support the local community, including the 1% distribution of revenue generated by the plant to finance programs such as assistance for schools. "We hope to create a community of resources trained in blockchain computing and to launch a center of excellence in the region," he says. "This will create many jobs in electrical engineering, software and mechanical engineering."
However, activists have invited Soluna and Brookstone to rethink their approach. Eyckmans invited Brookstone to support the UN peace process in Western Sahara by not engaging in a project in the occupied territory. In a letter to Michael Toporek, founder and managing partner general of Brookstone Partners, sent on August 9, he appealed to reconsider his company's involvement in Western Sahara, writing "it is not in your interest to become associated with a & # 39; Occupation and Settlement Underway. "
The Soluna site will initially be developed as an off-grid power plant, but could be integrated into the national grid by mid-2019. The company claims it is collaborating with Mott MacDonald as technical consultant for the project and with Afrique Advisors to provide assistance in obtaining the necessary permits and approvals.
The Moroccan authorities have been developing renewable energies for some time, with wind energy being a key element of the country's energy mix. A number of other wind farms have been developed in Western Sahara, including the project Foum el Oued 50MW near Laayoune. The 100 MW plant at Boujdour will arrive next year.
Tourists play a motorized parachute on Dakhla Beach in western Sahara on 13 December 2017. Weather conditions make it an ideal area for some sports and are now also a draw for wind energy companies. (Photo: David Degner / Getty Images)
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Soluna Technologies based in New York has been involved in the political controversy over Western Sahara, having announced plans for a project combining renewable energy and blockchain computing in the territory disputed
Soluna plans to develop a 900 MW wind farm near the city of Dakhla, which will power a blockchain computing structure, blockchain is the basis for energy-hungry processes such as the extraction of Bitcoin and other crypts. currencies According to analysts Digiconomo at the beginning of August 2018 the bitcoin mining consumed about 73 terawatt hours of energy in the year, more than the total consumption of some medium-sized countries like Chile and Venezuela.
Using renewable energy, Soluna says will help to make the process more sustainable from an environmental point of view ". Our vision is to power the blockchain with clean and renewable energy, "says Soluna CEO John Belizaire
The Dakhla project of the company covers 37,000 acres in an area known for its winds Constants: Soluna plans to develop the site in phases, with the first phase comprising 36 MW of energy production capacity and 18 MW of processing facilities.This first phase will cost $ 100 million.A total, it will take five years to complete the project, with a cost of up to $ 2.5 billion
A stretch of coast near Dakhla, Western Sahara, photographed on February 26, 2013 (Photo: Raquel Maria Carbonell Pagola / LightRocket via Getty Images) [19659026] The development of the site began in 2009 by the Moroccan company AM Wind, a subsidiary of the German wind energy specialist Altus. Soluna was established at the beginning of this year, supported by the private company equity Br ookstone Partners, and subsequently acquired A.M. Wind.
The announcement of the Dakhla project has provoked criticism from activists who campaign for the independence of Western Sahara that they say that the Moroccan authorities do not have the right to grant licenses for such projects. Dakhla "is located on the ground under foreign military occupation.Any agreement that Brookstone has signed with the Moroccan government for that particular area is therefore null," says Sara Eyckmans, coordinator of the Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW).
After the departure of the Spanish colonial governor in 1975, the area around Dakhla was first conquered by Mauritania and then by Morocco. This last hour claims Western Sahara as an integral part of its territory, but this claim is not recognized by the UN or by many others.
In October 2015, the UN Economic and Social Council invited Morocco to guarantee the indigenous local population gave their "preventive, free and informed consent" to any development of the natural resources of the territory. The recent rulings by the European Court of Justice have confirmed that Western Sahara should be treated as distinct from Morocco.
Belizaire states that his company is "aware of the political sensitivities of the region and that our investments in Dakhla fully respect the international legal status of this territory." He added that "We have and will continue to conduct our activities in strict compliance with the governing laws of the region We are also conscientious of the importance of ensuring that our project is aligned with the principles that the interest of the inhabitants of these territories is fundamental. "
Belizaire states that his company plans a series of initiatives to support the local community, including the 1% distribution of revenue generated by the facility to finance programs such as school assistance. "We hope to create a community of resources trained in blockchain computing and to launch a center of excellence in the region," he says. "This will create many jobs in electrical engineering, software and mechanical engineering."
However, activists invited Soluna and Brookstone to rethink their approach: Eyckmans invited Brookstone to support the UN peace process in Western Sahara without engaging in a project in the occupied territory. In a letter to Michael Toporek, founder and managing partner of Brookstone Partners, sent on August 9th, appealed to him to reconsider his company's involvement in Western Sahara, writing "it is not in your interest to become associated with an ongoing occupation and colonization. "
The Soluna site will initially be developed as an off-grid power plant, but could be integrated into the national grid by mid-2019. The company claims it is working with Mott MacDonald as project technical consultants and with Afrique Advisors for assistance in acquiring the necessary permits and approvals.
The Moroccan authorities have developed renewable energy for some time, with wind energy a key element of the country's energy mix. A number of other wind farms have been developed in Western Sahara, including the project Foum el Oued 50MW near Laayoune. The 100 MW plant at Boujdour will arrive next year
On December 13, 2017, tourists play with a motorized parachute on the beach of Dakhla, in Western Sahara. Weather conditions make it an ideal area for some sports and are now also a draw for wind energy companies. (Photo: David Degner / Getty Images)
Tags blockchain company controversy disputed energy judges project Sahara Western
