Sumbe – The Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, Diamantino de Azevedo, defended on Friday, in Cuanza-Sul, the ban on the export of quartz, due to the internal capacity to transform this mineral resource essential to the energy transition.
Speaking to businesspeople in the oil and mineral resources sector, the minister pointed out that with the advent of renewable energy, the importance of quartz has increased, as it is one of the main elements for the manufacture of photovoltaic panels.
“There are already companies in the country producing silicon ( quartz by products), so we will, yes, ban its export, as we are capable of developing the industry and can add value to our mineral resources¬ (…) why do we have to export our minerals in their raw form ?”, said the minister.
As regard to the industrial value of Quartz, the minister highlighted that the first generation of the ore involves obtaining metallurgical silicon, while the second increases its purity to more than 99.99, to obtain crystallized silicon that is used in industry for the production of solar panels.
The minister added that the next step is related to work on the production of polysilicon, due to the lack of a factory in Angola.
“ We expect entrepreneurs to respect our decision, because export will only be allowed for silicon and in the future polysilicon and, if some countries that exploit the ore are in Angola, then it is justified for them to install their technologies here in the country and so we will work with them”, the minister reinforced.
Diamantino de Azevedo announced that the state oil firm SONANGOL has entered the competition for quartz exploration.
“We do not intend to give Sonangol a monopoly on quartz exploration, but we intend to achieve the manufacture of polysilicon, as well as making technological development the main pillar for the sustainable socio-economic development of Angola”, the minister said.
In Cuanza-Sul province, quartz is explored, especially in Conda municipality, whose statistics show that in 2023 there was a production of 1.4 tons generating a 1.2 million.
The minister added that the country has the capacity and mineral resources to produce steel, having urged businesspeople to act in accordance with the legality in force in the country, as there is a mining code.LC/ALH/TED/AMP
