Baía Farta Solar Power Station Explained

Baía Farta Solar Power Station
Country:Angola
Coordinates:-12.6217°N 13.1808°W
Location:Baía Farta, Benguela Province
Status:O
Construction Began:March 2021
Commissioned:20 July 2022
Cost:US$152 million
Owner:Ministry of Energy and Water, Angola
Operator:Empresa Pública de Produção de Electricidade (PRODEL-EP)
Solar Type:PV
Ps Electrical Capacity:96.7MW

The Baía Farta Solar Power Station is an operational 96.7MW solar power plant in Angola. The power station, which was commercially commissioned on 20 July 2022, was developed by a consortium comprising (a) M. Couto Alves Vias SA, an energy consulting company based in Angola (b) M.Couto Alves SA, a construction company based in Portugal and (c) Sun Africa LLC, a renewable energy solutions company based in the United States. The power off-taker is Empresa Rede Nacional de Transporte de Electricidade (RNT-EP) (English: National Electricity Transmission Network). The power station is owned by the Angolan Ministry of Energy and Water.[1] [2] [3]

Location

The power station is located at Baía Farta, a municipality in Benguela Province. Baía Farta sits on the coast of Atlantic Ocean, approximately 29km (18miles), southwest of city of Benguela, the provincial capital. The geographical coordinates of the power station are: 12°37'18.0"S, 13°10'51.0"E (Latitude:-12.621667; Longitude:13.180833).

Overview

The power station comprises 261,360 ground-mounted solar photovoltaic panels. The solar complex sits on a piece of real estate measuring 186ha.[4] The design calls for a generation capacity of 96.7 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.[2] [5]

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.[6] [7]

Developers and ownership

The table below illustrates the corporate entities who developed the solar farm and their countries of domicile.[8]

Baía Farta Solar Company Developers! Rank !! Name of Developer !! Domicile !!Specialty!! Notes
1 M. Couto Alves SA (MCA SA)Construction
2 M. Couto Alves Vias SA (MCA Vias SA) Consultant
2 Sun Africa Consultant, Finance & Management[9]

The power station is reported to belong to the Angolan Ministry of Energy and Water and is operated by Empresa Pública de Produção de Electricidade (PRODEL-EP), the national electricity generation utility company.[2]

Construction costs

The construction costs of this renewable energy infrastructure is reported as US$152 million.[10]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: MCA Builds First Solar Power Plant In Angola . The Energy Republic . 2 August 2022 . Ogrepublic . 10 June 2023.
  2. Web site: President of the Republic inaugurates power stations in Baía Farta and Biopio . Africa-press.net . 20 July 2022 . Africa Press . 10 June 2023 . Dakar, Senegal.
  3. Web site: Devex.com . 10 June 2023 . Rede Nacional de Transporte de Electricidade . Devex . 10 June 2023 . Washington, DC, United States.
  4. Web site: Five Solar Projects to Watch in Angola: Bay Full (Bia Farta): 96.7 MW . 21 May 2022 . Energy Capital & Power . Keletso Moilwe . 10 June 2023 . Cape Town, South Africa.
  5. Web site: 2 solar power plants start operating in Angola . Further Africa . 2 September 2022 . Energy Capital & Power . 10 June 2023 . London, United Kingdom.
  6. Web site: Privacyshield.gov . April 2021 . Angola Country Commercial Guide: Energy . 10 June 2023 . Washington, DC.
  7. News: . 2 September 2014 . Angola Energy: Analysis & Forecasts by the EIU – The Economist . Economist Intelligence Unit . 10 June 2023 . London, United Kingdom.
  8. Web site: MCA Builds First Solar Power Plant in Angola . Construct Africa . 20 August 2022 . Yvonne Tagoe . 10 June 2023 . Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
  9. Web site: New Solar Power Plants launched in Angola . Lusophone Renewable Energy Association (ALER) . 28 July 2022 . 10 June 2023 . Lisbon, Portugal . Adapted from Jornal 24 Horas and Jornal de Angola.
  10. Web site: Angola: In Benguela, two solar power plants (284 MWp) come into operation . Arik21.africa . 17 August 2022 . Benoit-Ivan Wansi . 10 June 2023 . Paris, France.