Lucapa: The photovoltaic power plant in the municipality of Lucapa, Lunda-Norte province, with a capacity to produce 7.19 megawatts of clean energy, was inaugurated Saturday by the Minister of Energy and Water, Joo Baptista Borges. The energy project will ensure the supply of electricity, via the solar system, to more than 24,000 inhabitants of the municipality of Lucapa, which is more than 100 kilometers from the city of Dundo.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the project also includes the expansion of the distribution network to 1,700 household connections and public lighting. The plant was installed on an area of 13.52 hectares and is valued at £19,706,428, with 80 percent financed by Sweden and 20 percent by South Africa. It comprises 12,092 solar panels, ten transformer stations, and 600 lampposts for public lighting.
The operational plant is expected to save the state 4,933,371 liters of fuel per year. This marks the first instance where the population will have access to energy from the public grid in the municipality, following more than 30 years of reliance on private generators, which cost an average of 30,000 to 40,000 kwanzas monthly for consumption.
Angola is taking the lead in renewable energy installations, with seven projects across the provinces of Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Moxico, Benguela, Bi©, and Huambo. Authorities anticipate that solar energy will eventually benefit around 1.2 million families nationwide, aiming to enhance access to clean and affordable electricity.
In addition to Lucapa, a photovoltaic power plant is under construction in the province's municipality of Cafunfu, designed to produce 41.40 megawatts with an additional 101.80 MW stored in batteries for nighttime production. The project is approximately 70 percent complete. The Cafunfu electricity initiative is part of the Rural Electrification program, which plans to build around 15 photovoltaic power plants in various municipalities, benefiting 74,368 families.
Currently, Lunda Norte province has 76.19 megawatts of electrical energy available, with 27 megawatts from the Luachimo hydroelectric dam, 42 megawatts from the Dundo thermal power plants, and 7.19 megawatts from the Lucapa photovoltaic plant.
