The 14th Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) officially opened today, April 17, 2024, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Angola is serving as one of the vice-presidents, alongside the Dominican Republic, Georgia, and Iraq, with Rwanda holding the presidency. Representing Angola were His Excellency João Baptista Borges, Minister of Energy and Water, and Júlio Maiato, Angola’s Ambassador to the UAE and Permanent Representative to IRENA.

The day was centered on IRENA’s executive overview, presented in a high-level plenary session focused on tripling global renewable energy capacity. During this session, member states gave updates on their progress toward the renewable energy goals set by the 169 countries in the organization. In his role as Angola’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Júlio Maiato facilitated the final session of the day.

Minister João Baptista Borges expressed his satisfaction with Angola’s nomination as a vice-presidential candidate and congratulated Rwanda for its leadership as president, as well as the other vice-presidents.

Borges emphasized the severe impact of climate change on the African continent, citing Angola’s own challenges such as droughts, water shortages, desertification, and insufficient infrastructure.

He highlighted that Angola’s electricity generation capacity has surged from 2.4 GW in 2015 to 6.2 GW over the last eight years. Hydroelectric power now makes up about 60% of the country’s energy production, up from 39%, while thermal power has decreased from 61% to around 36% since 2015.

This transformation in Angola’s energy mix was driven by significant investments, notably the completion of the Laúca Hydroelectric Plant, with a capacity of 2 GW. Construction is also progressing on the Caculo-Cabaça Hydroelectric Plant, which will help Angola achieve a 9 GW capacity when finished.

The minister also pointed to the completion of key photovoltaic projects, such as the Biopio Plant (188.80 MW) and the Baía Farta Plant (96.70 MW), which contribute around 4% of the country’s public electricity supply. These projects save Angola 3 million tons of fossil fuel annually, reducing carbon emissions by roughly 9 million tons. In addition, the first phase of the Caraculo Photovoltaic Plant (25 MW) is underway, aiming to reach a total of 50 MW.

Angola’s energy sector has seen the electrification rate increase to 43%, while diesel consumption in thermal plants has been reduced by nearly 60%, from 1.36 billion liters in 2015 to 560 million liters in 2023.

Despite this progress, Borges acknowledged that Angola still faces major hurdles, particularly in expanding its energy transmission network to distribute the available 2 GW of energy. This includes plans to interconnect with other countries in the region, especially Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to enable intra-African energy trade and generate revenue from surplus energy.

The minister also spoke of ongoing reforms in the energy sector, including new legal frameworks for Independent Power Producers (IPPs), which will enable them to operate in a competitive market, selling energy to the public electricity grid through Power Purchase Agreements.

In addition, Borges discussed the 2023-2027 Energy Sector Action Plan, which aligns with the country’s 2050 Long-Term Agenda. The plan aims to integrate at least 72% renewable energy into the grid, including 1.2 GW of solar energy by 2027, with the goal of reaching a 50% electrification rate. Achieving this will require approximately $12 billion in investment, with financial institutions and the private sector expected to play key roles.

This year, the completion of several photovoltaic solar parks is expected, increasing solar energy capacity by 584.50 MW and adding 90 MW with 25 MWh of battery storage.

Two major electrification projects are also underway in Angola’s eastern and southern provinces, set to provide electricity to over 6 million people across 132 localities. These projects will primarily utilize solar systems with storage and associated distribution networks, significantly reducing infrastructure construction time.

On the sidelines of the assembly, Minister João Baptista Borges held bilateral meetings with São Tomé and Príncipe’s Minister of Infrastructure and Mineral Resources to share Angola’s experience in leading the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). He also met with financial institutions such as the IFC of the World Bank and the African Development Bank (ADB) to discuss financing for sustainable solutions and collaboration with IRENA.

Additionally, Borges held talks with potential investors in renewable energy projects, particularly focused on rural areas and private sector initiatives. These stakeholders expressed their interest in supporting Angola’s sustainable energy transition through knowledge transfer, technology implementation, and rapid solutions.