Angola seeks batteries for two Benguela solar parks
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Mercado
Illustrative image · joao Guerreiro · Pexels · Licence PexelsAngola is seeking a battery storage proposal for two solar parks in Benguela, with a combined capacity of about 360 megawatts. In Beijing, Minister João Baptista Borges also urged POWERCHINA and China Gezhouba to complete water projects and increase investment in energy and infrastructure, Mercado reports.
Angola’s Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, requested a proposal to install batteries at two solar parks in Benguela, with a combined capacity of about 360 megawatts. The request was made on 2 November in Beijing during a meeting with POWERCHINA and China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC), according to Mercado.
The discussions also covered the completion of the Quilonga Grande water supply system in Luanda and projects aimed at combating drought in southern Angola. João Baptista Borges demanded that the Chinese companies respect deadlines and contractual commitments, while calling for coordination based on transparency and dialogue, according to Mercado.
The minister advocated supporting the expansion of solar power with storage capacity, as well as training Angolan professionals and transferring technology to strengthen national management of infrastructure. Luanda and Beijing reaffirmed their intention to mobilise investment in energy and water and modernise infrastructure, according to Mercado.
The meeting was part of an Asian mission that began in South Korea on 27 October and is due to end in Oman. In South Korea, the Angolan delegation visited Hanwha Qcells, which specialises in solar solutions, and expressed its intention to seek another financing line from Korea Eximbank, Mercado reports.
