MCA has completed the installation of 40,000 solar panels in Angola, in what is now the largest off-grid renewable photovoltaic park in Africa, which will supply electricity to more than 136,000 people.
“MCA has just energized in Angola the largest off-grid renewable photovoltaic park in Africa. This is the country’s first stand-alone (off-grid) system powered by solar energy with battery storage for night supply — meaning no fossil fuel will be consumed,” reads the statement.
This project, fully developed by the Portuguese MCA Group, has a capacity of 25.40 MWp to supply over 136,000 residents, also contributing to the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and eliminating the use of diesel in generators and thermal production, which are highly polluting. Additionally, it includes a 75.26 MWh battery storage capacity, the Portuguese company explained.
MCA is a Portuguese Group founded in 1998 in Guimarães by businessman Manuel Couto Alves, and currently has over 1,500 employees across several regions. The company operates in development, engineering, procurement, construction, and project operations across four business verticals: Energy, Urban Development, Infrastructure, and Healthcare.
MCA began its internationalization process in Angola in 2006 and is currently present in three geographic clusters, including the Iberian Peninsula, Central Europe, and Africa.
According to the company, this is the country’s first independent (off-grid) system using solar generation with battery storage capable of supplying energy throughout the night — and therefore requiring no fossil fuel.
The inauguration, held this Wednesday, was attended by the Minister of Energy and Water (MINEA), João Baptista Borges.
This infrastructure, with more than 40,000 installed solar panels, generated over 300 jobs and will allow an annual savings of approximately 10 million liters of fuel, preventing the emission of 37 tons of CO₂ through renewable energy production.
The Cazombo Photovoltaic Park is the first to be delivered under the Rural Electrification Project for 60 communes in Angola, the Portuguese company disclosed.
Designed and built by the Portuguese MCA Group, the financing of this initiative was structured by the United Kingdom’s Standard Chartered Bank, with support from the German Export Credit Agency Euler Hermes, which granted a guarantee of about €1 billion, reinsured by the Portuguese and South Korean export credit agencies (Cosec and K-Sure).
The public electricity production company (PRODEL Ep) is the project’s promoter.
According to Manuel Couto Alves, Chairman of MCA Group, “the completion of this first park, equipped with state-of-the-art technology and operating models adapted to local demand evolution, demonstrates our ability to adapt and remain flexible when responding to specific contexts.
This project represents for us not only a technical challenge successfully overcome, but also a profound transformation in the quality of life of the communities served. It is with a sense of accomplishment that I witness households now lit by green energy.”
The Rural Electrification Project in Angola, which began construction in 2023 and is expected to be completed in 2026, involves the Portuguese MCA Group along with the Angolan Government — through the Ministry of Energy and Water and the Ministry of Finance — as well as a consortium of banks represented by Commerzbank AG as Agent and the German Export Credit Agency Euler Hermes (ECA).
Within this project, MCA will also build 46 isolated solar mini-grids benefiting over one million people in 60 communes across the country. A photovoltaic capacity of 256 MWp and 595 MWh of storage will be generated, with 202,657 household connections to ensure rural populations have access to electricity. These 46 solar parks are located in the provinces of Malanje, Bié, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, and Moxico.
“The Angolan municipality of Cazombo, with an estimated population of 411,074 inhabitants, is the capital of the province of Eastern Moxico, resulting from a new political-administrative division. It is a municipality facing major energy supply challenges. The launch of this new photovoltaic park represents the first major source of electric energy generation and distribution in the region, democratizing access and promoting stability and efficiency,” the statement reads.
“The solutions provided by the Portuguese company across its four business verticals — Energy, Urban Development, Infrastructure, and Healthcare — aim to foster prosperous and healthy communities prepared for a more sustainable and balanced future,” MCA emphasized.
Source: Jornal de Economia
