Solar energy production in Mozambique is expected to nearly quadruple in 2024, based on the expansion of over a dozen solar parks, although it still represents a relatively small portion of the total, according to documents accompanying the budget proposal for 2024.
According to the document being discussed in parliament, which Lusa had access to today, the installed capacity of solar parks in 2023 was estimated by the Mozambican government to be 71,777 megawatt-hours (MWh), which is projected to grow to 278,519 MWh next year, an increase of 288 percent in the span of a year.
Only the Mocuba solar power plant in the province of Zambézia, located in the center of the country, is expected to increase its production by 5 percent to 73,067 MWh next year, according to government forecasts.
Mozambique aims to produce a total of 18,496,557 MWh of solar energy in 2024. This would represent a 1 percent reduction compared to 2023, primarily in hydroelectric power (14,995,899 MWh, -2%), mainly from the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric Plant (HCB), with 14,506,036 MWh (-3%), but accounting for 82% of the entire national production structure.
“Comparing the estimated production and sales for 2023, HCB anticipates a reduction in energy production and sales for 2024 due to repair work on the diffuser gates (preparatory activities for the Central Rehabilitation Project – RS2) that will render generators 4 and 5 of the group unavailable,” the document reads.
The Mozambican state-owned electricity producer and distributor, Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), anticipates a 7 percent growth in production in 2024 compared to projections for 2023, influenced by the substantial increase in production from the Mavuzi and Chicamba hydroelectric plants.
