The government of Angola is planning to develop a 26MWp photovoltaic solar power plant in Saurimo city, Lunda Sud province in the north-east of the country; to help reduce the electricity supply deficit for the 534,000 inhabitants of Saurimo city. The project includes a transmission line and a 220kV substation.
The development of the new solar power plant is part of a large project that will lead to the establishment of seven solar power plants in seven provinces of Angola. Construction is expected to commence in October 2020 and will last 17 months.
According to Cláudio Pemessa, the director of the provincial office of infrastructure and technical services, the capital of the province of Lunda Sud needs 70MW to supply the population and businesses. Currently, it only has an installed capacity of 16MW, which is generated from the Chicapa hydroelectric plant. Also providing water for irrigation, its dam is located on the Chicapa River, 24km from Saurimo. The new solar project is in addition to a large solar off-grid electrification project.
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Solar power in Mozambique
Mozambique has undertaken significant efforts in recent years in electrifying the country. For the government, renewable energy is essential to address the challenge of securing more electricity to the country. Currently, there is just one large-scale solar power plant under construction in Mozambique, the 40MW Mocuba Solar IPP project of Norwegian company Scatec Solar.
The 40MW plant is located close to the city of Mocuba in the Zambézia Province. The Mocuba project is the first large scale solar plant to be in operation in the country and represents an important step in realising Mozambique’s ambition to increase renewable power generation in its energy mix.
