Amendments to the General Law of Electricity create opportunities for renewables.

The Council of Ministers has passed the General Law of Electricity which aims at ensuring a major participation of the private sector, introducing the exploitation of renewable energies and foresees the creation of a National Fund for Rural Electrification.

By the end of February, the Council of Ministers has passed the Amendments Proposal to the General Law of Electricity

The bill to the General Law of Electricity aims at guarantying a major participation of the private sector in producing, distributing and trading renewable energies, introducing its exploitation.

The amendments reflect the Legislator concern regarding the attraction of private capital in this sector, determining that the production of energy may be done both by public and private companies, including the allocation of funds.

Another important aspect of this law is that the State assumes the rural electrification of the country by creating a Rural Electrification National Fund in Angola. According to the Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, “The electrification rate of the country must, until 2025, duplicate, i.e. to go from 30% to 60%. For that it is necessary to promote electrification in rural regions and that Rural Electrification National Fund is an instrument to achieve that goal”.

These proposals follow a programme for changing the electric sector which is , in turn, one of the measures covered by the national policy for energy security and that has allowed the creation of new companies like National Transport Network (RNT, E.P.), Electricity Production Company (PRODEL, E.P.) and National Energy Distribution Company (ENDE, E.P.). The governing bodies of these companies have been approved last February.

The amendments raise the opportunities on renewable energy sector motivating private initiative for electricity production and rural electrification projects.

ALER will work with its Member MINEA, by way of the National Board of New and Renewable Energies in order to ensure better implementation of these proposals.