More than half a million new household electricity connections were made in Mozambique in 2023, pushing coverage to more than 50%, according to last year’s budget performance data that Lusa had access to this Friday.
According to the government implementation document from January to December 2023, the process of “expansion of the national electricity grid enabled the installation of 522,824 new household connections.”
Of these, 382,403 were sold through the National Grid and 140,421 “through isolated systems.”
Thus, the document adds, the share of the population with access to electricity increased from 47.8% in 2022 to 53.4% in 2023.
Mozambique plans to achieve universal energy access by 2030 through measures that include expanding electricity infrastructure and off-grid solutions, according to the Energy Transition Strategy (ETS) that Lusa announced in February last year.
“Grid expansion will be fundamental to achieving universal access to energy,” both electrical and thermal, the government-approved document notes, recalling that the National Electrification Strategy aims to achieve this goal by 2030 with 70% of solutions , online and 30% offline, “approximately 2.5 million new online connections and two million offline connections will be required.”
It also says high-voltage lines will be added or improved to support hydroelectric power plants that will be installed after 2030, including in neighboring countries.
“Additional transmission capacity in the coming years will depend on growth in national demand and will determine the country’s ability to export electricity. This medium/long term program aims to enable the electricity grid to guarantee a balance between supply and demand and maintain grid stability,” reads the document, which details one of the ETS programs.
It also found that this expansion includes basic domestic electricity infrastructure, “as well as the creation of new green industrial corridors,” namely Nacala in the north of the country, “capable of absorbing and transporting renewable energy.”
“The goal is to transport energy to the center-north system, increase the speed of universal access and strengthen the development of the green industrialization process in major industrial zones,” he notes.
The document recognizes a “viable interconnected network” as fundamental and sets a goal of “expanding and strengthening” the national grid by 2030 to guarantee the supply of 28 to 32 TWh. [TeraWatt-hora] energy, “including the development of national infrastructure and a 15-25% share of renewable energy sources.”
After 2030, Mozambique will “further expand the grid” to support 55–65 TWh, including 30–40% renewable energy, rising to 65–75 TWh between 2040 and 2050, half of which will be guaranteed by renewables.
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 Action Summit (COP28) in Dubai on December 2.
Mozambique’s Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy announced on November 27 an ETS investment of $80 billion (€73 billion) 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.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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