The government of the Republic of Mozambique embodied by the president, Filipe Nyusi, has launched the construction of Metoro Solar power Plant in Cabo Delgado province in the north-eastern region of the East African country.
The approximately US$ 56M project is developed by Neoen, a renewable energy company headquartered in Paris, France in partnership with Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), the state-owned electricity company. It is funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) together with the government of Mozambique and it will be implemented by Efacec Power Solutions, the largest Portuguese solutions provider for the electrical and electromechanical industries, within a period of nine months.
The projects total electricity production capacity
Build on a 138-hectare site, the Metoro Solar power Plant will have a production capacity of 41 megawatts (MWp), an equivalent of the total electricity consumption of over 150,000 households. The electricity generated from this facility and which will be sold to EDM on the basis of a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) will be connected to Mozambique’s Metoro electricity substation in Ancuabe district.
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Benefits of the Metoro Solar power Plant project
In addition to providing electricity to Mozambicans upon completion, the Metoro Solar power Plant project is expected to avoid the emission of up to 49,000 tons of CO2 per year thus contributing to the fight against climate change.
It is estimated that the plant will also create up to 380 jobs in the construction phase and invest at least US$ 60,000 annually in projects for local communities.
The project’s presentation document stated that “An assessment of needs and dynamics in Metoro and Ancuabe was carried out in 2016, and a preliminary Community Development Plan was approved by the Ancuabe District Government in June 2018, with a focus on education.”
