The Biopio Solar Power Station is an operational solar power plant in Angola. The power station, which reached commercial commissioning on 20 October 2022, was developed by a consortium comprising (a) M.Couto Alves SA, a construction company based in Portugal (b) M. Couto Alves Vias SA, an energy consulting company based in Angola and (c) Sun Africa LLC, a renewable energy solutions company based in the United States. The power station is owned by the Angolan Ministry of Energy and Water. The power off-taker is Empresa Rede Nacional de Transporte de Electricidade (RNT-EP) (English: National Electricity Transmission Network).

Location The power station is located in Biópio, in the municipality of Catumbela, in Benguela Province. Biopio is located approximately , southeast of downtown Catumbela.

Overview The power station is a ground-mounted solar photovoltaic panel design. The solar farm occupies , on which 509,040 solar panels were installed. The design calls for a generation capacity of 188.8 megawatts. Its output is sold directly to the Empresa Rede Nacional de Transporte de Electricidade (RNT), the national electricity transportation utility company, for integration into the national grid, under a long-term power purchase agreement.

The Angolan government is in the process of expanding national electricity generation from 5.01 GW in 2021 to 9.9 GW by 2025, of which 800 MW is sourced from renewable sources.

Developers and ownership The table below illustrates the corporate entities who developed the solar farm and their countries of domicile.

+ Biopio Solar Company Developers Rank Name of Developer Domicile Specialty Notes 1 M. Couto Alves SA Portugal Construction 2 M. Couto Alves Vias SA Angola Consultant 2 Sun Africa United States Consultant, Finance & Management

As of April 2023, the power station is reported to belong to the Angolan Ministry of Energy and Water.

Construction and funding The construction costs of this renewable energy infrastructure is reported as US$426.87 million. The project received funding from (1) the Swedish Export Credit Corporation, South Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (K-Sure), and the Development Bank of Southern Africa.

See also

List of power stations in Angola Empresa Nacional de Electricidade de Angola

References

External links Angola Country Commercial Guide: Energy As of June 2023.