Masdar, a renewable energy company from the United Arab Emirates, is set to develop a 150 MW solar park project in southern Angola, specifically in the Municipality of Quipungo, Huíla province. The concession agreement with the UAE-based strategic company was signed today, December 2nd, during the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change – COP28, at Expo City Dubai, by the Angolan Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, and Masdar’s CEO, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi.
The project aims to create up to 600 direct jobs and supply clean electricity to 90,000 households in a region facing significant electricity supply challenges. The agreement signed at COP28 highlights the Angolan Government’s dedication to a just energy transition, economic growth, and carbon emission reduction in Africa and globally. This project will be instrumental in helping Angola achieve its goal of increasing the national electrification rate to over 50% by 2027.
“This contract is part of a previously signed agreement, which also included the development of projects. Now, we are signing a concession contract for the construction of a 150 MW solar park in southern Angola, specifically in the Municipality of Quipungo,” Minister João Baptista Borges stated to the press. The Minister of Energy and Water emphasized that the project is a private investment with solar capacity to serve not only the Huíla Province but also extend capacity to Namibe.
“There is a significant energy supply shortage in this southern region of the country, and we still rely on thermal energy. Therefore, this project will replace thermal energy with clean energy,” His Excellency Minister João Baptista Borges explained. The Minister clarified that Masdar will supply energy to both the public grid and private consumers. “The supply will be ensured by the public grid and governed by a power purchase agreement, which will soon be signed between the National Transport Network (RNT) and the park operator. The signed contract grants a 25 to 30-year concession, allowing the park to operate and ensuring the investor has rights over the land where the park will be established.”
During the opening of COP28, His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, President of Masdar, and designated President of COP28, stated, “Africa has everything it needs to become the world powerhouse of renewable energy.”