The distribution of 2 GW of available energy presents substantial challenges for Angola.
On April 17, 2024, the 14th Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was officially opened in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Angola holds the vice-presidency along with the Dominican Republic, Georgia, and Iraq, under Rwanda’s presidency. Angola was represented by João Baptista Borges, Minister of Energy and Water, and Júlio Maiato, Angola’s Ambassador to the UAE and Permanent Representative to IRENA.
Throughout the day, an executive overview of IRENA was presented during a high-level plenary session focused on tripling renewable energy capacities, with Member States discussing the renewable energy implementation targets of the organization’s 169 member countries.
Ambassador Júlio Maiato, as Angola’s Permanent Representative to IRENA, chaired the final working session of the day.
In his speech at the 14th IRENA Assembly, João Baptista Borges expressed his satisfaction with Angola being accepted as vice-president of the Assembly and congratulated Rwanda for its excellent work as president, along with the other vice-presidents.
Borges emphasized Africa’s vulnerability to climate change and the challenges Angola faces, such as droughts, water scarcity, desertification, and the lack of resilient infrastructure.
He reported that Angola has increased its installed electricity production capacity from 2.4 GW in 2015 to 6.2 GW in 2023. Hydroelectric generation rose from 39% to 60%, while thermal generation decreased from 61% to 36% in the same period.
This progress was achieved through significant investments, including the completion of the Laúca Hydroelectric Plant with a capacity of 2 GW, and the ongoing construction of the Caculo-Cabaça Hydroelectric Plant, which will help achieve a production capacity of 9 GW.
The Minister also mentioned the completion of the Biópio and Baía Farta Photovoltaic Plants in 2022, which contribute approximately 4% of the public electricity production matrix, saving about 3 million tons of fossil fuels annually and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 9 million tons.
Increasing the electrification rate to 43% and reducing diesel consumption in thermal plants by almost 60% over eight years were highlighted as significant achievements.
Despite these advances, João Baptista Borges noted that the challenges remain substantial, particularly in expanding the energy transmission network to distribute the available 2 GW and interconnecting with neighboring countries such as Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to market the energy surplus regionally.
Angola is also reforming its electricity sector legal framework, including creating a legal regime for Independent Power Producers, who operate under free competition and can sell energy to the public sector through Power Purchase Agreements.
Finally, Borges discussed the 2023-2027 Energy Sector Action Plan, aligned with the Long-Term 2050 Agenda, which aims to incorporate at least 72% renewable energy into the energy matrix, with 1.2 GW of solar energy by 2027, and achieve a 50% electrification rate, with an investment of around $12 billion.
This year, projects for solar photovoltaic parks are expected to add 584.50 MW to the grid, along with 90 MW of battery storage. Additionally, electrification projects have been approved in the eastern and southern provinces of Angola to provide electricity to over 6 million inhabitants in 132 locations, mainly through solar systems.
Outside the conference, Minister Borges held bilateral meetings with the Minister of Infrastructure and Mineral Resources of São Tomé and Príncipe, sharing experiences in the CPLP presidency, and with funding entities such as the IFC of the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) for sustainable solutions.
He also met with representatives of potential renewable energy project financiers, focused on sustainable rural solutions, who expressed interest in participating in these challenges and proposed quick solutions for sustainable energy transition and the transfer of knowledge and technologies to Angola.
