WSHPDR_2013_Final_Report-updated_version

1.2.1 Angola
Lara Esser, International Center on Small Hydro Power
Key facts
Population 18,056,072 1
Area
Climate
Topography
Rain
Pattern
1,246,700 km²
Semi-arid in south and along coast to
Luanda; the north has a cool, dry
season (May to October) and a hot,
rainy season (November to April).
Temperature varies from 10°C to 31°C
Forty-seven hydrographical basins, well
irrigated by rivers coming from the
central plateau
Hot summer months are very dry, with
almost no rainfall (June to August). Wet
season (October to April) with 100-250
mm per month. The wettest region is
the north-east, and the total rainfall
decreases southwards and towards the
western coast. 2
Electricity overview
The national electrification rate was 26.2 per cent,
with 13.7 million people not having access to
electricity in 2011. 4 The Angolan Government has a
National Electrification Programme, which has set a
target of increasing production to 7,000 MW, enabling
an annual per capita consumption of 4,000 kWh by
2016 – an eightfold increase in current consumption.
The medium-term goal is to develop capacity of 4,646
MW by 2017. There are also bottlenecks in the
transmission and distribution networks that need to
be overcome. 5
Hydropower
79.8%
Oil
20.2%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Figure 1 Electricity generation in Angola
Source: Trading economics 3
Note: Data from 2010.
The Angolan Strategic Programme for Rural
Electrification is part of the National Programme and
also includes mini-hydro. Priority actions include the
building of new power plants (hydropower plants and
the reinforcement and expansion of the transmission
network to new municipalities and the construction of
transmission lines associated to the new power
lines). 5
There is a focus on the existing hydropower potential
in Angola and its strategic role in the regional energy
sector, the investment opportunities and the efforts
put forward by the Angolan Government to attract
private sector involvement in the energy sector. 5
Small hydropower sector overview and potential
Angola has enormous hydropower potential.
Hydropower currently provides three quarters of the
country’s electricity (figure 1). However, the civil war
destroyed facilities and the Government has not
succeeded in keeping supply in line with expanding
demand. The technical hydropower potential is
around 80 TWh/year and the economically available
hydropower potential is 72 TWh/year (18 GW). Less
than 900 MW (out of 18 GW overall potential) have
been developed so far. 6
The colonial policy was highly oriented towards
medium- and large-hydropower schemes with the
objective to provide big cities and centres with
electricity. Pico-, micro-, mini- and small- hydropower
schemes for supplying indigenous people with
electricity were given less priority.
In 1975, when Angola became independent, there
were three separated electricity grid systems. Only 12
per cent of the Angolan population had access to
electricity, of which 90 per cent were in Luanda, the
capital. According to the 2011 World Atlas and
Industry Guide, Angola has started reconstructing
Cavango small hydropower plant (10 MW) in the
centre of the country, which was damaged during the
civil war. In July 2011, the Angolan Ministry of Energy
and Water announced that it intended to build 150
micro-hydroelectric projects. It said that so far the
administrative procedures had already been
concluded, but neither specific localities to build the
projects nor the time to start operating were given. A
public tender to select a construction company, would
open soon. This action is part of the strategic plan of
the sector aimed to improve and expand the power
network countrywide. 7
SHP installed capacity
SHP potential
10 MW
134 MW
0 50 100 150
Figure 2 Small hydropower capacities in Angola
Source: Hydro World 7 , Unknown 8
Installed small hydropower capacity was 10 MW in
2008 (figure 2). The small hydropower development
programme (launched in 2008) by the Ministry of
Energy and Water aims to support preliminary studies,
technical and economic feasibility studies,
environmental studies, engineering project design and
construction of pico-, micro-, mini- and smallhydropower
schemes with capacity up to 10 MW,
including transportation, distribution, public lighting
and optional infrastructures. More than 112 projects
have already been identified (table). Projects are
listed and grouped into short-, medium- and longterm
projects. Prioritization of projects was carried
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