Africa-Press – Angola. The minister of Energy and Waters, João Baptista Borges, inaugurated on Wednesday (03) the photovoltaic park in the municipality of Bailundo, Province of Huambo, with an installed capacity of 7.8 megawatts.
Equipped with 15,600 solar panels, the infrastructure built since 2023 will allow for more than 1,700 household connections.
The inauguration, witnessed by the Huambo Province governor, Pereira Alfredo, is part of the program for the 14th advisory council of the Ministry of Energy and Water, taking place from the 4th to the 5th of the current month in this region.
On the occasion, Minister João Baptista Borges said that Angola is now an example in Africa in leading the energy transition, as a result of the strategic vision of the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, who launched, in his first term, the challenge of achieving 72% of energy production capacity from renewable sources.
He stated that this project represents another step in that direction, as the country has 370 megawatts of solar in its energy mix.
He added that Angola currently has 6.2 gigawatts of installed capacity, 66 percent of which is renewable, with a goal of reaching 72%.
To achieve this goal, solar farms are still under construction in the east and south of the country, as well as in Laúca and Catete, he said.
He recalled that until 2008, the city of Huambo had only a small power plant in Benfica, and nowadays has several infrastructures, resulting from the growth of the national electricity grid, the result of significant investments that are boosting the economy and transforming the lives of the population.
In turn, the governor of the province of Huambo, Pereira Alfredo, stated that the entry into operation of the photovoltaic park represents a victory for the people of that province, who gain greater access to energy and better living conditions.
He signaled that the investment in renewable energy reinforces the Executive’s commitment to sustainable development and environmental preservation.
“We have overcome the first stage, and others will be overcome with faith, resilience, and under the ongoing guidance of the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, as the best way to justify Angola’s growth is to showcase the work accomplished,” he said.
The Bailundo community praised the importance of the investment, which they considered a milestone for local development, as the park will boost the economy, create jobs, strengthen security, and improve quality of life.
In May 2022, the municipality of Bailundo had already registered the commissioning of a 20-megawatt electrical substation, connected to the national grid from the Laúca dam in Malanje, replacing the old 4.6 MW thermal power plant, which supplied only 1.6 MW to less than 10 neighborhoods, alternating between 4:00 PM and 10:00 PM.
Founded on July 16, 1902, by the Portuguese Teixeira da Silva, Bailundo became a town that same year, through Decree-Law No. 54.
According to tradition, the name of the town is associated with a brown mole with a white stripe on its forehead, which is said to have appeared to King Katyava upon his enthronement ceremony.
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