Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, known as Masdar, is planning to develop a 150 megawatt solar power project in Angola to provide renewable energy to 90 000 homes and support economic growth, including jobs, the UAE state news agency WAM said on Saturday.
The announcement was made during the COP28 climate summit hosted by the United Arab Emirates.
Angola’s Ministry of Energy and Water and Masdar, the Gulf state’s clean energy developer, signed a concession agreement to build and operate the ground-mounted solar power project in the Quipungo region of southern Angola, the statement said.
No details on the likely costs were provided. The project is part of a wider commitment made by Masdar this year to develop 5 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy projects across Angola, Uganda and Zambia.
“Africa has what it takes to become the world’s renewable energy powerhouse,” Sultan Al Jaber, COP28 president, said in the statement.
“The UAE stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our friends in Africa as we strive to secure a just energy transition at this COP of action and COP for all.”
Angola wants to increase its national electrification to around 60% by 2025; less than half of the population has access to electricity at present, the statement said.
