Energy for All - the commitment of the Government of Mozambique

The Government of Mozambique is committed to providing quality, sustainable and affordable energy to all Mozambicans, in line with the United Nations Agenda 2030.

It was in this context that we launched the Energy for All Program, which includes an approach to expand the national electricity grid, complemented by investments in isolated systems in areas outside of the grid.

We are, therefore, working to ensure an increase in the availability of electricity, promoting public-private investment in new generation infrastructures that ensure an increase in installed capacity of at least 600 MW, with an increasing contribution from renewable energies.

The contribution of renewable energies to the goal of universal access is essential, as it allows the timely installation of medium-scale renewable solar plants in locations close to the load centers and the dispersion of their location to ensure redundancies and ensure greater security of supply.

Mozambique has a diversity of renewable resources, namely solar, wind, hydro, biomass, geothermal, ocean, among others, still exploited in an incipient way, based on small isolated photovoltaic systems.

A survey of the existing potential, developed within the framework of the New and Renewable Energy Development Policy, confirmed the existence of a high and consistent radiation throughout the national territory, identifying the sun as the most abundant energy source in the country and sixteen locations with high wind potential in the central and southern regions.

It is taking into account this enormous potential that we pay special attention to the development of renewable energies in order to increase the diversification of the location of new plants to respond to the challenges of electrification in Mozambique and boost economic activity, particularly in rural areas.

We note with satisfaction that there is a strong appetite from national and international companies to invest in the renewable energy market in Mozambique. The entry into operation of the 40 MW Mocuba Solar power plant in 2019 represented an important milestone in the implementation of scale renewable energy projects.

Other projects for solar power plants at different stages of development are still underway, with the first stone recently laid for the installation of the second solar power plant in Metoro, Cabo Delgado.

The auction program launched by the government last September is an unprecedented initiative, based on a transparent, competitive investor selection process and in line with the best international governance practices, which will result in the selection of the least cost solutions , thus ensuring electricity tariffs at the lowest possible cost for final consumers.

In this first auction program, we intend to promote the construction of three solar plants with an individual capacity of 30 MW and a wind power plant of 40 MW, in predetermined locations, in an aggregate investment estimated at 200 million Euros.

This is another important step that aims to increase the contribution of renewable energies to the national energy mix, which should reach twenty percent in the next twenty years. We rely on ALER, of which the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has been an member since 2017, to help us implement this objective.

Max Tonela

Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy of Mozambique