The government of Sao Tome is set to receive US $14m from the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group to support the Energy Transition and Institutional Support Programme (ETISP).
The broad objective of the proposed Programme is to ensure sustainable development of STP’s power system and promote green growth by supporting the implementation of the LCDP. This will involve the diversification of the country’s electricity matrix by increasing power generation capacity based on renewable energy, increasing the reliability of power system, and promoting the sustainable and efficient use of electricity.
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Energy Transition and Institutional Support Programme (ETISP).
The funds is set to support a major part of the programme while the rest that is needed will be supplemented by the government of this Central African country. Under the programme, Papagaio hydroelectric plant in Santo António will be renovated.
The facility has a capacity of 1MW. The new programme will also allow the hybridisation of one of the main thermal power plants based in Santo Amaro, in the Lobata district of northeastern São Tomé Island, with the addition of a small solar power plant. It will also support the implementation of an energy efficiency programme.
Within 5 years, the electricity network is projected to become more stable in São Tom. Currently, the rate of access to electricity in São Tomé and Principe is 70% due to the ageing electricity infrastructure. This situation forces companies to operate with diesel generators. Through the ETISP, the country plans to increase the share of renewable energy in the electricity mix to 50%, from the current 5%.
