Sonangol, Total Eren and Greentech partner for solar project ‘Quilemba’

According to a joint statement, Sonangol, Total Eren and Greentech signed, on October 8, "the partnership agreement for the solar photovoltaic plant of Quilemba, located in Lubango, capital of the province of Huíla".

Thus, "Sonangol will have a 30 percent stake in the Quilemba solar project ("Quilemba Solar"), while Total Eren and Greentech will hold 51 and 19 percent, respectively," the note said.

The partnership "will be fundamental" for the completion, development and implementation of the project, which when it comes into operation, "will allow significant savings in liquid fuel, if compared to existing thermal power plants, and will increase the production capacity of clean energy in the south of Angola, in line with the country's strong ambition for the renewable energy sector," he adds.

"The signing of this agreement represents, on the one hand, the strengthening of the partnership with TotalEnergies in Angola and Greentech and, on the other, Sonangol's commitment to the country's energy transition and to environmental concerns and energy sustainability," he said Maria A. Correia, from the executive committee of Sonagás, cited in the statement.

"We are delighted to welcome Sonangol to the Quilemba Solar project that we are developing with our partner Greentech in Angola. We believe that we can work together more effectively in providing low carbon, renewable and competitive electricity to the Angolan people", he stressed the Executive Vice President of Total Eren, Fabienne Demol.

Jorge Salvador, executive and co-founder of Greentech, considered that "having Sonangol in the Quilemba Solar project will create additional synergies in the joint development and will be an additional force to accelerate energy transition efforts in Angola".

Created in 2012, Total Eren develops, finances, builds and operates renewable energy production plants (solar, wind, hydro) representing a gross volume of more than 3500 MW in operation or under construction worldwide.

In Africa, Total Eren has a track record of 151 MWp of solar power plants currently operating in Egypt, Burkina Faso and Uganda. In addition to Angola, the company is also developing solar and wind projects in sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2020, Sonangol approved, as part of its regeneration programme, the creation of the Gas and Renewable Energy Business Unit with the objective of developing projects aimed at the production of clean energy. Sonangol has 50.6 MW in its clean energy generation portfolio.

Greentech is an Angolan company, created in 2012, whose experience stems from previous involvement in the management of thermal power plants (80 MW in Luanda).

The company has been operating since 2016 in the analysis and development of renewable energy projects, and is now implementing several small-scale solar photovoltaic installations throughout the national territory.