• Masdar signs power purchase agreement for 150 MW solar plant in Angola
• Quipungo project is Masdar’s first solar investment in the country
• Plant anchors 500 MW programme to diversify Angola’s power mix

Masdar, a renewable energy company based in the United Arab Emirates, said on Sunday it had signed a power purchase agreement for a 150-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant in Quipungo in southern Angola.

The deal was signed with Angola’s state electricity transmission operator Rede Nacional de Transporte de Electricidade and marks Masdar’s first solar project in the country.

The agreement secures long-term offtake for the electricity generated by the plant. The 150 MW project is the first phase of a 500 MW programme planned across three sites. Masdar said the deal would serve as a foundation for rolling out the remaining projects.

Once completed, the programme is expected to create more than 2,000 jobs and generate enough electricity to power around 300,000 homes, while supporting grid reliability in southern Angola.

Angola remains heavily reliant on hydropower, which accounted for 71% of electricity generation in 2023, according to the International Energy Agency. Oil- and gas-fired plants made up 26%, while solar accounted for 2.5%.

Despite generating an estimated 15,701 GWh in 2023, electricity access stood at 51% that year, World Bank data showed. Large-scale solar projects could help diversify the energy mix and expand access, particularly in the south.

Abdoullah Diop