Cuito: The Minister of Energy and Water, Joo Baptista Borges, inaugurated a photovoltaic plant in the city of Cuito, the capital of Bi© province, with a capacity of 14.6 megawatts. The inauguration took place on Sunday as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of National Independence. The plant aims to enhance the electrical system and improve electricity distribution to 45,420 homes, benefitting a total of 208,931 individuals.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the project was constructed over 22 months in the Caluco neighborhood on the outskirts of Cuito. The plant, budgeted at £20,883,712, includes a solar park with 28,125 panels, five inverters, and an internal connection voltage of 15 kV. It boasts a generating capacity of 18.4 Mwp, a battery storage capacity of 39.15 Mwh, and a daily consumption rate of 153,976 kwh.
Celeste Adolfo, the governor of Bi© province, remarked that the new plant will significantly enhance household electricity distribution, while also promoting social and economic development in Cuito. She encouraged the business community to partner with the Bi© government to implement projects that improve community well-being.
Minister Joo Baptista Borges highlighted that the government aims to provide electricity to 50 percent of the population, exceeding 16 million people, as part of the National Development Plan. He emphasized the government's preference for clean energy to meet the country's energy security needs cost-effectively. The government currently manages seven wind farms, with two additional ones expected to be operational soon, to support universal energy access.
The minister also noted that the Cuito photovoltaic plant is connected to the national grid, allowing electricity to be distributed to other regions of Angola. He confirmed the connection of 14,000 households in Cuito to the plant's energy supply. The Executive aims to achieve 72 percent renewable energy capacity nationwide, with the remaining 28 percent sourced from fuel, although 80 percent of renewable energy has already been achieved.
Since 2019, Cuito, which has over 29,500,000 consumers managed by the National Electricity Distribution Company (ENDE), has received energy from Laºca with an installation of 80 megawatts.
