Angola’s national oil company, Sonangol, along with its partners, have unveiled the first phase of the Caraculo solar photovoltaic plant in the Namibe Province. The 50 MW solar power station is being developed by the joint venture between Sonangol and Italian energy company Eni, named Solenova, in two phases.
The inauguration was graced by esteemed dignitaries including the country’s Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil & Gas, Diamantino Pedro Azevedo, and Minister of Energy and Waters, João Baptista Borges, the Governor of Namibe, Archer Mangueira, along with officials from Sonangol and Eni.
The recently launched phase of the solar farm has a capacity of 25 MW and is equipped with 46,000 solar panels. The production test of the plant was started in January this year.
Eni and Sonangol invested a total amount of $42 million in the Caraculo solar project. The project is In line with Angola’s Energy 2025 Strategy and contributes towards the government’s target of deploying 500 MW of renewable energy within the next two years.
The Caraculo solar farm will supply clean energy for 25 years to the provinces of Namibe and Huíla, which highly rely on diesel for electricity generation. After its completion, the plant is estimated to mitigate approximately 50,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent each year.
