Moçâmedes - The minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, Diamantino de Azevedo, laid Friday the first stone for the construction of the photovoltaic power plant that will produce 50 megawatts of electricity located in Bibala Municipality, south-western Namibe Province.
The project, being installed in the desert area of Caraculo, in two phases, is budgeted at over 30 million US dollars and has created 350 direct jobs for local youths.
The minister said the oil and gas sector is aware of its responsibilities as a pillar of the energy transition, so it will continue to need fossil fuels for decades to come.
"The hydrocarbon producing countries need to increasingly make that position clear at the world level, to prevent the increase of energetic poverty", the minister said.
He also pointed out that Sonangol (state-owned oil firm), with this project, demonstrates its strategy to transform itself into an energy company and not just staying with hydrocarbons.
The minister added that there are other ongoing projects, such as solar energy and bio-fuels to be implemented in Namibe Province.
"We are not carrying out these projects in an empirical way. As we don't want to bypass the transformation that our planet is experiencing, we created the sonangol development research center and expanded its social object", he explained.
The minister pointed out that the project will contribute to the sustainable development of the communities in the surrounding areas, which will benefit from social intervention, such as access to energy, water, education, and health.
In the first phase, the infrastructure, the first of its kind in Angola, will produce 25 MW of energy to benefit the Municipality of Moçâmedes.
The infrastructure is the first to rely on private investment and has benefits for the environment, reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and promoting savings of tens of millions of dollars in the replacement of fossil fuels currently used.
Sonangol's executive director, Baltazar Miguel, said the act symbolizes the first step of the company's entry into green energies and opens a new phase for the oil sector.
He explained that the choice of Namibe Province, specifically the town of Caraculo, was due to its high potential of solar irradiation.
The Caraculo photovoltaic plant is an additional source of electricity production for Namibe.
The governor of Namibe, Archer Mangueira, acknowledged that the production of this energy will contribute greatly to the process of electrification of the province.
"The main advantage of this project is that it will contribute to the sustainable development of our communities, which will have important improvements in their lives, with more and better access to water, health and education, in addition, of course, to electricity", he said.
He stressed that the project has national significance for the prosperity of the country and for the Angolan government, as it will contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the "Energy and Water Sector Action Plan 2018-2022".
On his turn, the managing director of the Italian oil company ENI, Adriano Mongini, stressed that the project will contribute to Angola's energy transition, in line with the goals set by the Angolan government for the sector, in accordance with the United Nations sustainable development goals.
"Eni is committed to an energy transition that is socially just and that, through tangible solutions, preserves the environment and provides everyone with access to the needed energy. As such, and as a Selanova shareholder, we are proud to be here today", he stressed.
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