The start of the mega-project, budgeted at approximately US $ 623 million and which the company expects to be completed in the third quarter of 2022, will be marked with the laying of the cornerstone in Biópio, in the province of Benguela, which will host the projects.
The Biopio production plant will have an estimated production capacity of 188 megawatts and will be "the largest individual solar project in Sub-Saharan Africa", according to a statement from Sun Africa.
According to the note, the project will use equipment from the companies Hitachi-ABB, Hanwha Q-Cells and NEXTracker and will be built by the Portuguese business group MCA.
"The total capacity of the seven solar projects will be 370 megawatts and will bring significant benefits to Angola's electricity supply", points out the statement, which states that this mega-project "will set a new course in the diversification of energy supply and the economy" from the country.
The North American company, a subsidiary of Urban Green Technologies, underlines that "in addition to the wealth of hydrocarbons, Angola has abundant sunlight and one of the largest solar irradiations in the African continent".
Five of the projects that make up this mega-project will be linked to the main energy network, while the remaining two will be linked to rural areas.
"These solar parks will thus bring a new dimension of sustainable renewable energy to thousands of Angolans in various parts of the country," adds the note.
According to the Sun Africa portal, the Biopio plant will have the highest production (188.88 MWp), followed by those in Benguela (96.7 MWp), Saurimo, in Lunda Sul (26.91 MWp), Luena, in Moxico (26.91 MWp), Cuito, in Bié (14.65 MWp), Bailundo, in Huambo (7.99 MWp) and Lucapa, in Lunda Norte (7.2 MWp).
Cited in the press release, Sun Africa's Chairman of the Board, Nikola Krneta, said the mega-project's advances are "an incredible achievement given the current funding challenges - and others - due to the covid-19 pandemic".
"It demonstrates the dedication and capacity of all our partners, as well as the vision of the Angolan Government", pointed out Krneta.
The financing of the mega-project is the responsibility of SEK (Swedish export promotion agency), with guarantees from the Swedish Export Credit Agency (EKN).
In the statement, Krneta thanks its partners and the governments of Angola, Sweden and the United States for "continued and direct support throughout the development process" and for "helping to bring the project to fruition".
In November, in a note sent to Lusa, the MCA group had announced its participation in this megaproject by announcing that it would install one million solar panels, stressing that the investment will provide "enough energy to serve 2.4 million people, in a territory with shortages in supply and access to the public network, especially in rural areas ".
According to the Portuguese company, the installation of the new equipment will avoid the emission of 935,953 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
The note released today by Sun Africa explains that these solar panels are manufactured in South Korea, while most of the equipment to be used is shipped from the United States of America and Sweden.
