The Government maintains the commitment to take Angola to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, enhancing the energy transition program underway, while projecting the permanence of oil and gas drivers of economic development, declared the Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum. and Gas.
Diamantino Azevedo, who was speaking on Wednesday at the 2nd Economy and Market Conference (E&M), devoted to the environment and development, reaffirmed the Government’s conviction that the energy transition is an unavoidable process for humanity, but it must be carried out in line with the reality of countries whose main source of income is fossil fuels. Promoted by the magazine “Economia & Mercado”, the meeting was attended by specialists from the fields of petrochemicals, environment and clean energies, who focused on topics such as “The Role of Industry in the Sustainable Management of Energy Resources” and “Innovation, Energy and Infrastructure” in a country like Angola, where the Government has set a target of reaching a 72 percent contribution from clean energy sources in the energy mix by 2025.
The official described the steps taken by the country in this area, pointing out the fact that the Angolan oil industry is oriented towards the adoption of measures to mitigate and compensate for greenhouse gas emissions, such as the reduction of gas flaring and fugitive emissions. of methane, protection and conservation of flora and fauna and creation of forests, reforestation, among others.
“The Government of the Republic of Angola, through the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, has been supporting initiatives and studies in the oil sector for the development of projects that will contribute to the national energy transition, taking into account the expositions of the Convention of United Nations on Climate Change (UNFCCC)”, said Diamantino Azevedo. Among the projects underway in the national territory, he highlighted the photovoltaic projects of Caraculo, in the province of Namibe, of Quilemba, in Huíla, in partnerships between Sonangol and Eni (with installed capacity to generate 50 megawatts) and between Sonangol and Total Energies (140 megawatts). Diamantino Azevedo referred to a green hydrogen project, for which Sonangol signed, in June, contracts with Gauff and Conjucta, from Germany, in addition to another biofuel project with a memorandum of understanding for the construction of a biorefinery in Luanda recently signed between the National Agency for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels, Sonangol and Eni.
On the other hand, the minister advanced data that show the existence of a reforestation project under study, as well as the initiative to plant forests in desert and arid areas, in a partnership between the department he directs and the Ministries of Environment and Tourism. , Agriculture and Forestry, and Total Energies, in addition to the Mangrove Support project. inclusive process In the minister’s opinion, the energy transition must be an inclusive process and not generate new forms of poverty and inequality, taking into account “studies presented by the Organization of African Oil Producing Countries (APPO) stating that more than 600 people live in Africa millions of people without access to electricity, which presupposes low emissions per capita. “The energy transition in Africa must be adapted to the location, since the abundant resources of oil and natural gas that it has are important for socio-economic development and for its industrialization. Thus, it will be hydrocarbons, especially natural gas, that will make it possible to end generalized energy poverty and guarantee an energy transition sustained by the generation of electricity and the promotion of the petrochemical industry, fertilizer plants, among others”, said the minister. The oil industry, said Diamantino Azevedo, despite the high carbon intensity, “will continue to be an important pillar for the economies of producing countries. However, its decarbonization becomes increasingly necessary, so that it continues to have access to financing international”. Angola ratified the Paris Agreement at Cop 21, in December 2015, adding to the goal adopted with the other signatories, of maintaining, until the end of this century, global warming at 2.0 degrees Celsius in relation to pre-industrial levels and preferably limit them to 1.5 degrees.
