Data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), made public at the beginning of September, indicates that electricity production has grown steadily over the last five years, rising from 18,759 Gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2019 to 19,753 GWh in 2023. The 5.3 per cent increase was driven by generation from renewable sources, with hydroelectric plants contributing 82.7 per cent of the total electricity generated in 2023.
According to the report ‘Basic Energy, Gas and Oil Indicators 2023’, drawn up by INE, renewable energies make up around 83 per cent of Mozambique’s electricity matrix. However, the study reveals that the country faces important challenges. ‘Dependence on hydroelectric sources, although beneficial for the environment, exposes the energy system to the consequences of climate variability, such as prolonged droughts, which can jeopardise electricity generation. This vulnerability has forced the country to increase its use of thermal sources, such as diesel, whose production will rise from 126 GWh in 2022 to 158.9 GWh in 2023, representing an increase of 26 per cent,’ reads the document.
The study points out that energy imports and exports from 2019 to 2023 were mainly from and to the Republic of South Africa, with a share of around 100 per cent of total electricity imports and 78.4 per cent of exports. Imports showed a downward trend from 9.3 million MWh (2019) to 7.9 million MWh in 2023, while exports grew slightly (4.8 per cent) from 11 million MWh (2019) to 11.5 million MWh (2023).
‘The number of consumers by region and electricity distribution area grew by 56.3 per cent in the period from 2019 (two million consumers) to 2023 (3.2 million consumers). In 2023, consumers in the South represented 40.2%, those in the Centre 31%, those in the North 28.8% and the distribution areas of Maputo Province (ADPM) and Maputo City (ADCM) accounted for 15.4% and 12.2%, respectively, of the total number of consumers. When we analyse by category, for 2023, low voltage consumers accounted for 99.8% of the total, with 92.2% on domestic tariffs, a behaviour seen throughout the five-year period in question,’ explains the report.
As for electricity billed by region and distribution area, the study explains that during the period in question there was an increase from 3.5 million MWh to 4.1 million. ‘The North region saw an increase from 557,933 MWh (2019) to 684,782 MWh (2023), the Centre region saw an increase from 830,118 MWh (2019) to 1.05 million MWh (2023) and the South region rose from 2.1 million MWh (2019) to 2.3 million MWh (2023).’
‘Energy billed by category grew by 19.9 per cent in the period from 2020 (2.06 million MWh) to 2023 (2.5 million MWh). Low-voltage energy in 2023 had the largest share of total energy billed (63 per cent), with domestic tariffs standing out at 44.9 per cent,’ the study reveals.
Text: Nário Sixpene
