President of the Republic of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi inaugurated the Metoro Solar Plant
The President of the Republic of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, inaugurated the Metoro solar farm in Cabo Delgado, accompanied by the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Carlos Zacarias, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mozambique Electricity, Marcelino Gildo Alberto.
In this, which is the largest solar farm in Mozambique, Efacec carried out the engineering design, supply and construction, being also responsible for the operation and maintenance of this plant, installed in an area of about 65 hectares. This project with 121,500 photovoltaic modules, located in Metoro, in northern Mozambique, will enable a production capacity of 69 GWh per year, ensuring the consumption of green energy for over 140,000 people, which corresponds to around 75% of the population of Pemba, in the province of Cabo Delgado. With the entry into production of the Metoro solar farm, one of the fundamental assumptions for accelerating the development of this region is fulfilled, with a direct impact on the local economy, and on the life of the population, as well as the promotion of access to energy for 100% of the Mozambican population.
Ângelo Ramalho, CEO of Efacec, said “It is very gratifying for Efacec to be participating in the Metoro solar farm project, which will mark the energy future of Mozambique. By developing and implementing innovative and sustainable solutions, Efacec has been promoting the development of the country’s energy evolution for over 20 years. It is now reinforcing its position with this project, which will increase production capacity and diversify energy sources, taking advantage of the high potential of solar energy resources, which are very consistent throughout the territory and stable throughout the year. Additionally, it is a project that shows the Efacec team’s execution capacity, which demonstrated, in addition to technical skills, a physical, social, and human resilience that allowed us to successfully complete this project, despite the highly inhospitable conditions, such as those that accompanied us throughout the project”.
It is important to emphasise that this project, which we are now celebrating, was only possible thanks to the effort, commitment and enormous resilience of all the stakeholders involved, especially the Efacec team on the ground and its subcontractors, with the entire construction and commissioning stage taking place in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, with an impact not only in terms of operations on the site, but also in terms of logistics and procurement of materials. No less challenging was the construction of this infrastructure in a region that over the past two years has been beset by constant attacks and threats from insurgent groups, adverse weather conditions and challenges in terms of local and international logistics, with Efacec implementing the appropriate management plans that allowed the project and construction activities to continue during this period, always bearing in mind the health and safety of all workers.
In this project of national interest, where support and cooperation with the community and local authorities were a priority from day one, more than 400 jobs were created during the construction stage. Local workers represented more than 90% of the total workforce, maintaining extremely high standards throughout the construction period.
Efacec develops turnkey solutions for solar systems, including self-consumption, hybrid systems and large-scale photovoltaic installations. The Portuguese company is positioned as a major player in the energy sector at international level, with around 406 MW installed worldwide and 133 MW in O&M.
