The government of Angola has inaugurated the 26.14-MW Saurimo solar power plant in the Lunda Sul province, in the extreme east of the country. The project is part of a planned seven solar power plants with a capacity of 370 MW to be built in seven provinces of Angola.
Constructed at an estimated investment of EUR 38.8 million (USD 41.8m), the Saurimo solar power plant consists of 44,850 solar panels, and produces enough power to meet the needs of 171,000 people.
The inauguration of the Saurimo solar power plant aligns with the Government of Angola’s “Energia Angola 2025” – a plan to install 100 MW of solar capacity by 2025, including 30 MW off-grid.
According to Angola’s Minister of Energy and Water, the remainder of the planned seven solar power plants should be completed by the end of the year. The first two solar power plants, Biópio and Baía Farta, which total 285 MW, were already inaugurated in July 2022
The diamond rich Lunda Sul province where the Saurimo solar power plant is located did not have any source of energy production capacity until 2008 when a thermal plant with around 5MW was built. Subsequently, more thermal power plants were later installed to respond to population growth and the ever-increasing demand for energy in the province.
Angola’s Ministry of Energy and Water expects the planned solar power projects across the country to reduce consumption of diesel by around 1.4 million litres once operational.
“This solution of increasing solar energy has in fact become the key to being able to have a source of energy production here that significantly reduces costs. We are talking about 43 million litres of fuel that were consumed last year, during 2023, predicting that this year we will have a reduction of 19 million with the introduction of this solar park”, said João Baptista Borges, Angola’s Minister of Energy.
Additionally, the solar power projects being built by Angola’s government will help diversify the country’s energy matrix, and provide access to electricity for around 60% of the rural population.
