Luena - The Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, said Friday in eastern Moxico province that Angola will save around 43 billion kwanzas/year in fuel costs with the entry into operation of four photovoltaic parks.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Luena photovoltaic plant, with an installed capacity of 25.3 megawatts (MWp), the minister underscored that with the completion of the Biopio, Baia-Farta (Benguela) Saurimo (Lunda-Sul) and Luena (Moxico) parks, the country will be able to save 43 billion kwanzas/year, equivalent to 54 million US dollars.
These savings, the minister said, will allow the government to build more than 80 schools a year to reduce the number of children outside the education system.
According to the minister, with the entry into operation of this number of photovoltaic parks, the country will be able to save 214 million liters of diesel every year, reducing the rate of fuel imports.
The minister explained that the Luena photovoltaic plant alone, which cost 36 million dollars, is expected to save 19 million liters of diesel a year, and that the return on investment through fuel savings could be guaranteed in seven years.
João Baptista Borges reiterated that the solar park project is viable, as it could bring many benefits to the country from a social and economic point of view, adding that the government plans to diversify the country's energy matrix to ensure that rural population has access to electricity, with cheaper and more accessible energy.
Luena photovoltaic plant supplies 172,000 people
Over 172,000 people will have access to electricity with the inauguration of the Luena Solar Energy Park that will generate 52.1 megawatts.
The infrastructure, which began to be built in 2022, is budgeted at 36.9 million euros, with a total of 43,680 solar panels, and is part of the government's ‘Energia Angola 2025’ plan.
The photovoltaic plant joins the current 26.8 MW produced by the Tchiumbwe-Dala Hydroelectric Plant (12.4 MW), Luena Thermal Plant 2 (4.4 MW) and Luena 3 (WARTSILA) with 10 MW available.
The city of Luena, the provincial capital, has more than 460,000 inhabitants. TC/YD/DAN/AMP
