Cafunfo: The MCA company, tasked with the construction of the solar power plant in Cafunfo, Lunda-Norte province, assured on Friday that the project is on track for completion and handover by July this year, as per the contractual agreement. The physical execution rate of the project is reportedly over 75 percent.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the schedule presented by the Minister of Energy and Water, who has been in Lunda-Norte since Thursday, indicates that production tests are set to commence at the end of February. Currently, construction is focused on the buildings for monitoring rooms, the technical networks for energy and water, and the installation of the medium-voltage transmission network.
The minister expressed contentment with the project's progress and urged the contractor to sustain the current pace of work. Initiated in November 2023, the project is a component of the Rural Electrification Program and features 72,000 solar panels capable of generating 41.4 megawatts, with an additional 111.45 MW stored in batteries for nighttime production.
The solar power plant, with a budget of one billion Euros, aims to facilitate 29,150 household connections using a prepaid system. It is a strategic element of the Angola 2025 Plan by the Angolan government, aiming to provide clean electricity to urban and rural regions by expanding the national electricity grid and constructing photovoltaic parks.
The Angolan State aims to contribute positively to the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, currently ranging from 4.2 to 8.0 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Angola's favorable conditions for solar energy use, with an average annual global horizontal radiation of 1,370 to 2,100 kilowatts per square meter per year, make photovoltaic systems an ideal technology for electricity production. These systems are quick to install and cost-effective to maintain, supporting small to medium-sized decentralized solutions.
Currently, Lunda-Norte province has an electricity capacity of 76.19 megawatts, sourced from the Luachimo hydroelectric dam, Dundo thermal power plants, and the Lucapa photovoltaic plant.