Portuguese business group, MCA, has constructed two solar photovoltaic (PV) parks with an installed capacity of 285 MW in the Angolan towns of Biópio and Baía Farta, in the Benguela Province, supplying green energy to approximately 1.8 million people.
Completed on July 20, MCA led the project’s execution in Engineering, Procurement and Construction as part of an international consortium. The solar energy parks are part of the government’s 2018-2022 National Development Plan, which aims to diversify energy production sources across Angola.
Comprised of approximately 509,000 solar panels, the solar energy plant in Biópio – with an installed capacity of 189 MW – represents the largest solar energy project in Angola. The Baía Farta plant, with an installed capacity of 96 MW, comprises around 261,000 solar panels and will inject solar energy directly into the national grid, benefitting over 500,000 consumers.
Offsetting approximately one million tons of CO2 per year and eliminating the consumption of approximately 215 million liters of diesel per year, the implementation of the project is indicative of Angola’s commitment to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
The Biópio and Baía Farta projects are the first of seven solar plants expected to become operational by the end of the year. Announced in 2020, the construction of the solar farms will be led by MCA and will provide the provinces of Benguela, Huambo, Bié, Luanda-Norte, Luanda-Sul, and Moxico with a total generating capacity of 370 MW, providing clean and renewable electricity to approximately 2.4 million Angolans.
