Angola aims for 60 % electrification by 2025
ESEEP will create an interconnected national grid supplying north, central and south Angola to create a 60 % electricity access rate by 2025.
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Angola: The Energy Sector Efficiency and Expansion Program (ESEEP) will create an interconnected national grid supplying north, central and south Angola to create a 60 % electricity access rate by 2025.
The Angolan government has partnered with Power Africa, a U.S. Government-led partnership coordinated by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and The African Development Bank (AfDB) to start a major transmission project to connect the power grids of Angola.
ESEEP aims to strengthen Angola’s power transmission and distribution system. The program is structured around the construction of a transmission line, revenue improvement through installation of prepaid meters, and program management for project design and implementation.
The transmission network expansion, which will be completed by Rede Nacionale de Transporte de Electricidade (RNT), consists of the construction of a 343 km long 400 kV Central-South transmission line, construction of 400 kV substation, construction of line-bay at Huambo substation, and the installation of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.
Africa will also be assisting the AfDB in connecting pre-paid meters. In December 2019, the government was granted a $500 M loan package from the AfDB to finance the program. The beneficiaries of the project include households, industries, businesses, and small to medium sized enterprises in Angola, with the aim of increasing access to cheaper, more reliable and sustainable electricity.
“This major transmission project, which will reduce dependence on fossil fuels, lower the costs of electricity generation, and improve the reliability of the national power systems, has shown to be a large investment opportunity for private investors,” said Frederico Martins Correia, Energy, Resources & Industrials Partner of Deloitte. Correia also said that joining this project and investing in the major transmission project is low-risk because of the procured funding, donors that are already in place and that the budget will be managed by AfDB.
Paul Ghiotto, Deputy Political-Economic Chief and Energy Officer of the U.S. Embassy in Luanda, Angola, spoke about the company’s involvement in the project, “We are partnering with the AfDB and we are providing support for the AfDB and their more than $500 M loan package,” said Ghiotto. “In addition, Power Africa is providing technical support for Rede Nacionale de Transporte de Electricidade, the national transmission company; Empresa Nacional de Distribuição de Electricidade, the national distribution company; the Regulatory Institute for Electricity and Water Services; and the regulatory agency in partnership with the AfDB and the Angolan government.”
Source: Africa Oil&Power