The African Development Bank (AfDB) will finance the construction of a floating solar power plant with a capacity of 100 megawatts (MW) on the Chicamba reservoir in Manica province. The project, developed by Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), will have an investment of 158.2 million meticais (2.5 million dollars) made available through SEFA (Sustainable Energy for Africa), according to Lusa.
“The funding not only makes it possible to build the power station, but also supports EDM in implementing a storage system for the energy produced. This project will be built on the reservoir of the Chicamba dam, built during the colonial period in the district of Sussundenga,’ the state company said in a statement.
The document states that the project’s Environmental Impact Study is under public consultation until August, allowing society to participate and contribute to the sustainable development of the project.
According to the information, the country currently has projects for solar power stations totalling 125 MW, of which 80 MW are already connected to the electricity grid. In the first quarter of this year, electricity production from solar parks in Mozambique grew by almost 14 per cent, although it still represents less than 0.5 per cent of total production.
“Electricity production at the country’s six large solar parks and other smaller plants totalled 19,688 megawatt hours (MWh), compared to 17,328 MWh in the first three months of 2023. Despite this growth, solar production was surpassed by hydroelectric plants, which led with 84.6 per cent, mainly due to the Cahora-Bassa Hydroelectric Plant, which alone accounted for 82.2 per cent of total electricity production up to March,’ highlights the budget execution report for January to March.
“The country has solar power plant projects totalling 125 MW, of which 80 MW are already connected to the electricity grid.In the first quarter of this year, electricity production in solar parks in Mozambique grew by almost 14 per cent, although it still represents less than 0.5 per cent of total production”
By 2030, the Executive plans to go ahead with the construction of solar power stations in at least five locations, with the aim of adding 1000 MW of electricity capacity to the national grid. This initiative is part of the Energy Transition Strategy (ETS), which foresees investments of around 5 billion meticais (80 billion dollars) by 2050, aiming for a ‘true solar revolution’ in the country.
The strategy proposes the development of at least 1000 MW of new solar photovoltaic capacity and between 200 and 500 MW of onshore wind power by 2030. The goal by 2050 is to reach an installed capacity of 7.5 GW of solar photovoltaic energy and up to 2.5 GW of wind energy, guaranteeing that the country’s growing demand for electricity will be met in a sustainable way.
