Latest developments of renewable energies in Cape Verde

In Cape Verde, April was marked by new developments in the energy transition and sustainable development sector.

At the beginning of the month, on April 6th, the 2023 Annual Operational Plan of the Energy Transition Programme was approved during the II Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Energy Transition Support Programme, financed by Luxembourg Cooperation.

At the end of the month, on the 27th and 28th, the International Conference of Partners was held in the island of Boa Vista for the presentation of the Strategic Programme for Sustainable Development, in which it was announced that the country will benefit from a financing package of 140 million euros in the scope of the Global Gateway initiative of the European Union.

Operational Plan for Energy Transition 2023 Programme approved

The Energy Transition 2023 programme aims to promote access to clean and sustainable energy based on three lines of intervention: production and distribution of sustainable energy, efficient energy consumption and strengthening the governance of the sector.

According to the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Energy, Alexandre Monteiro, "these objectives are also aligned with the 7 targets of the National Programme for Energy Sustainability (PNSE II) of the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development (PEDS II), 2022-2026.

As the Minister said, "this programme will provide the installation of energy storage infrastructures, batteries and pumped storage, on Santiago Island, and will also massify the micro-production of energy in public buildings, with the installation of solar panels in 44 schools in the country.

As well as promoting sustainable energy, the programme will also focus on energy access: "we are going to give a lot of attention to isolated localities and off-grid areas, to vulnerable families, providing solutions of solar home kits and interventions related to mini-grids," the Minister stressed.

During his intervention, the Minister announced that "the new tender for the installation of the battery system in Boa Vista and São Vicente, whose studies were carried out under PASER”.

It should be noted that due to the results and good execution of the Energy Transition Support Program (PASER), this new funding package has been substantially increased. The overall programme is budgeted at 12 million euros and the 2023 annual plan has a budget of around 2 million euros.

International Partner Conference: Strategic Programme for Sustainable Development

The 2nd edition of the International Partners for Development Conference aimed to identify business and investment opportunities for the private sector, within the scope of the Strategic Programme for Sustainable Development (PEDS II 2022-2026) and under the motto "Driving Change and Accelerating Development".

At the opening of the event, Minister Alexandre Monteiro explained that "the implementation of the energy transition programme in the country requires the mobilisation of relevant technical and financial resources. The estimated global value of investments until 2030 is around 520 million euros, of which 280 million, private investments and 240, public investments."

According to the Minister, Cape Verde has bold objectives to exceed 50% implementation of energy produced from renewable sources by 2030, reaching almost 100% in 2040 and achieving 100% in energy access by 2026. For electric mobility, the aim is to achieve 100% of electric vehicles by 2050.

Also at the opening session, Carla Grijó, European Union ambassador to Cape Verde announced that the country will implement a funding package of 140 million euros under the European Union's Global Gateway initiative.

According to the ambassador, the Global Gateway is an offer from the European Union to address this gap that exists globally in terms of funding and its main objective is to support countries in their economic repair and accompany them in the dual climate and digital transition.