Africa-Press – Angola. The Zona Franca da Barra do Dande, in the province of Bengo, will have a photovoltaic energy park, to encourage the use of clean energy within the aforementioned project.
According to the development and business director of the Sociedade de Desenvolvimento da Barra do Dande (project manager), Roque Saraiva, who provided the information to the press, the intention is to install the said park in an area of around 300 hectares in the Zona France.
He explained that the solar parks also make it possible to eliminate the consumption of around 1.4 million liters of diesel with highly polluting effects, and a very significant saving on imports.
Recently the Sociedade de Desenvolvimento da Barra do Dande initialed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Toyota Tsusho Corporation, in Nagoya, Japan, with the aim of carrying out technical, economic and financial feasibility studies, with a view to signing contracts for the development of supply of renewable energy and water supply system in the Zona Franca da Barra do Dande.
Angola has a construction program for seven photovoltaic solar power plants in the provinces of Benguela (already in operation), Moxico, Lunda Sul, Lunda Norte, Bié, Huambo and Namibe.
Under the “Energia Angola 2025” plan, the Angolan government intends for around 60% of its rural population to have access to electricity in the next three years.
The Barra do Dande Free Trade Zone project has a global investment of US$1.5 billion, of which US$960 million is from the private sector.
The initiative is expected to create 21,000 jobs and aims to contribute around 1.5 to 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
With around 5,465 hectares, the free zone of Barra do Dande will guarantee food security, the national reserve of fuel, the construction of industrial poles and promote the energy transition with the commitment to the construction of clean energy systems.
The project was created by means of Presidential Dispatch n.o 62/21, of May 6th, with the aim of ensuring the economic and social development of the country and the province of Bengo.
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