Luanda, May 28, 2026 (Lusa) – Renewable energy currently sustains around 70% of electricity consumption in Angola, with hydropower representing more than 60%, Angola's minister of State for Economic Coordination announced on Thursday in Luanda.
José de Lima Massano spoke at the opening of the 2nd International Conference on Energy and Water, which runs in Luanda until Friday.
In 2024, Energy and Water Minister João Baptista Borges announced that Angola set a target to achieve a 73% contribution from renewable sources to its energy generation mix by 2027.
Electricity production nearly quadrupled between 2012 and 2025, rising from 1,772 to 6,400 megawatts, Massano stated. Very high-voltage transmission lines also reached 5,950 kilometres alongside the expansion of the existing distribution network.
"This transformation is equally visible in the national electricity matrix. In 2012, the system was predominantly thermoelectric, but now around 70% of the energy consumed in Angola comes from renewable sources, with the hydropower component representing more than 60%, thus contributing to the progressive reduction of operational costs and competing for environmental protection," he said.
Advances in the energy and water sector have created more favourable conditions for the growth of farming, manufacturing, mining, tourism, telecommunications, and logistics, he said.
He stated that expanding these sectors has allowed Angola to build a more diversified, inclusive, sustainable, and integrated economy, as demonstrated by the latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data.
"The agriculture, livestock, and forestry sector represents close to 25% of national economic activity, followed by the trade sector with 19.27%," he said.
Massano said that the national economy had grown at a remarkable pace over the last two years, reclaiming its position in 2025 as the sixth-largest African economy and the third-largest in Sub-Saharan Africa.
"Angola, aware of the strategic importance of energy and water for its development ambitions, has been making structural investments in the sector. In just over a decade, Angola went from a system marked by deficits and frequent power supply interruptions to a reality characterised by the expansion and modernisation of energy generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure," he said.
Development is no less significant in the water sector, Massano said, adding that ongoing projects aim to reinforce drinking water production and expand access.
"Projects in the provinces of Luanda and Icolo e Bengo, for example, will have a combined capacity to produce more than 777,000 cubic metres of water per day, benefiting around 7.5 million consumers," he said.
João Baptista Borges highlighted that energy and water are central factors in social stability, economic competitiveness, national sovereignty, and the geopolitical assertion of states.
"Angola is aware of this reality," he said, emphasising investments in both sectors to ensure sustainable development, social inclusion, and an effective improvement in living conditions.
He said that millions of Angolans had not had regular access to electricity or drinking water for many years.
He acknowledged that "the challenges remain huge", noting that communities still lack access to energy and water due to territorial asymmetries and infrastructural limitations that demand continuous work, investment, and execution capacity.
Conference sessions will focus on renewable energy, rural electrification, regional interconnection, environmental sustainability, technological innovation, smart grids, electric mobility, integrated water management, and green hydrogen, with participation from partners in Portugal and Brazil.
NME/RYOL // ADB.
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