Luanda - The Angolan Executive is committed to the energy transition by 2027 to reduce dependence on fossil energy, promote clean and sustainable energy sources and mitigate environmental impact.
This objective was reiterated today by the director of the Department of Renewable Energy of the Ministry of Energy and Water, Landa João, highlighting that fossil fuels are polluting and very harmful to human health.
“From the point of view of operational costs for generating electricity, they do not add technological advantages to human capital due to the high cost”, she highlighted, on behalf of Minister João Baptista Borges, at a conference on the subject.
For the official, Angola is an important oil producer, but it also recognizes the need to diversify its energy matrix to face the environmental and economic challenges of climate change.
In this context, the use of renewable energy sources was adopted as strategies for Angola to face global challenges related to climate change and improve the population's quality of life.
Regarding the goals and actions within the framework of the renewable energy strategy adopted by MINEA, Landa João said that the country has great potential for the development of water, solar, wind and biomass sources.
Energy efficiency in improving energy consumption, he said, is fundamental to the energy transition, which can be achieved through the implementation of policies that encourage more efficient practices in the industry, agriculture, production, health and transport sectors.
Among the actions, the national director of the Department of Renewable Energy and Rural Electrification also highlighted rural electrification, with the expansion of electrical networks to all regions of the country, mainly rural areas, with a system based on renewable energies and mini-grids.
'The 2023-2027 Energy sector action plan is aligned with the implementation of the 2050 long-term agenda, with the target of 72 percent continuity in the energy mix, with the incorporation of renewable energy sources into the Angolan energy matrix' , remembered.
He explained that in relation to electricity generation, the country currently has hydropower as its main source, the main dams of which are Laúca with 2070 megawatts, Cambambe with 960 megawatts, Capanda with 520 megawatts and Caculo-Cabaça, under construction.
He reaffirmed that the aim is to achieve, by 2027, an Electrification Rate of 50 percent, of which 1.2 gigawatts peak, from solar sources, where the energy mix will reach 7.2 percent in Angola's energy matrix, having a value approximately of 12 billion US dollars.
In the coming years, he continued, the construction of more solar parks is planned to increase the installed generation capacity of 584.50 megawatts peak, injected into the national grid, and 90 megawatts, with 25 megawatts of battery storage, being an isolated system.
In his communication, at the aforementioned Conference on Energy Transition, Landa João said that the Angolan Executive has shown interest in pressuring this transition through policies favorable to the development of renewable energy.
Likewise, added the senior technician from the Department in question, the Government has established partnerships with specialized international organizations and the private sector, to play a decisive role in this energy transition.
According to the director, the solar projects already implemented have allowed an annual saving of three million tons of fossil fuels and consequently a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of around nine million tons.
This Conference on Energy Transition was organized by the National Oil and Gas Agency (ANPG) in partnership with MAIRE and the Angola-Italy Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
It debated, among various topics, the challenges and opportunities of Angola's energy matrix, biofuels and their impact on decarbonization, as well as the contributions of the oil sector to energy diversification. OMG/DOJ
