Mozambique plans to install solar power plants in at least five parts of the country by 2030, estimating adding 1,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity generation to the grid, promising a “true solar revolution.”
“Accelerating the implementation of such projects to a larger scale is the easiest way to solve Mozambique’s strategic dilemma after 2030: the need to choose between green energy for export or supplying energy to industrial users,” says the Energy Transition Strategy (ETS) that Lusa developed. available this Thursday.
The latest available official data shows that Mozambique had 125 MW of solar power projects in 2022, of which 80 MW were already online. Currently, more than 70% of the country’s electricity consumption is provided by hydroelectric power, and the government recognizes that this trend will continue in the coming decades, even after the implementation of the ETS.
The new strategy, which calls for investments of around $80 billion (€73 billion) until 2050, calls for Mozambique to generate “at least” 1,000 MW in its first phase until 2030. new solar photovoltaic capacity in Dondo, Lichinga, Magna, Cuamba, Zitundo and other locations “to be determined”, and 200 to 500 MW of new onshore wind capacity, namely in Inhambane, Lagoa Pati.
“Large industrial investors who require large quantities of clean electricity should be encouraged, through an enabling business and regulatory environment, to develop large-scale solar and wind energy projects,” the document adds.
By 2050, the target is to install at least 7.5 GW of solar photovoltaic capacity and up to 2.5 GW of wind power capacity in Mozambique.
“To ensure price optimization and accelerate the expansion of solar and wind energy capacity, the government should build on the Mozambique Renewable Energy Auction Programme,” the principles of which introduced “competition in the awarding of renewable energy contracts.”
“The rapid growth of solar power in South Africa since the introduction of auctions is a regional example to follow,” highlights the ETS, which also highlights “long-term” initiatives: “Continue the gradual development of the latest generation of solar and wind energy potential. to meet growing electricity demand Meeting Mozambique’s growing electricity consumption in an environmentally friendly manner will require a true “solar revolution”.
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi said at a climate summit last December that the ETS would put the country at the “vanguard of climate innovation.”
“This initiative not only places Mozambique at the forefront of climate innovation, but also positions it as an attractive destination for sustainable investment,” the head of state said after speaking at a panel at the UN climate summit (COP28) in Dubai on December 2.
Mozambique’s Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy announced on November 27 an investment of $80 billion (€73 billion) in the Energy Transition Strategy, to be implemented by 2050.
Between 2024 and 2030, the Mozambican government plans to add 3.5 gigawatts (GW) of new hydroelectric power through the upgrading of existing power plants and the completion of the Mfanda Nkuwa hydroelectric project.
It will also “expand and modernize the national grid” to “absorb increased renewable energy generation” and “increase solar and wind power” through a renewable energy auction program.
It will also promote the construction of “green industrial parks and corridors powered by reliable and affordable clean energy.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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