Masdar, a renewable energy company from the United Arab Emirates, is set to develop a 150 MW solar park in southern Angola, specifically in the Municipality of Quipungo, Huíla province. The concession agreement with this strategic UAE company was signed today, December 2nd, during the COP28 Climate Change Conference at Expo City Dubai, by Angolan Minister of Energy and Water João Baptista Borges and Masdar CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi.
This project will generate 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 underscores the Angolan Government’s dedication to a just energy transition, economic growth, and reducing carbon emissions both in Africa and globally. It will play a vital role in helping Angola achieve its goal of increasing its national electrification rate to over 50% by 2027.
“This contract is part of a previously signed agreement, which included another for project development. Now, we are signing a concession contract for constructing a 150 MW solar park in southern Angola, specifically in Quipungo Municipality,” Minister João Baptista Borges told the press. According to the Minister of Energy and Water, the project is a private investment that will provide solar capacity not only to the Huíla Province but also to distribute energy to Namibe.
“In the southern region of the country, there is a significant shortage of energy supply, and we still rely on thermal energy. Therefore, this project will also replace thermal energy with clean energy,” said His Excellency the Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges. He clarified that Masdar will supply the energy to both the public grid and private consumers, and “the supply will be ensured by the public grid and governed by a power purchase agreement to be signed soon between the National Transport Network (RNT) and the park operator. The signed contract is for a concession of 25 to 30 years, allowing the park to operate and be maintained with the investor holding rights over the land where the park will be installed.
At 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.”
