Solar energy was the source of electricity that grew the most in Mozambique in recent years (2017-2021), announced today the National Statistics Institute (INE) cited by Lusa.

Annual production grew from 1.5 to 69 gigawatts between 2017 and 2021, reads the Energy, Gas and Oil Basic Indicators bulletin.

Still, the energy obtained from the solar panels represents less than 1% of the electricity produced in the country, which is still centered on the Cahora Bassa dam - responsible for 83%.

The Metoro solar plant, the largest in the country, was inaugurated in April, with 125,000 panels manufactured in China, a capacity of 41 megawatts (MW), and capable of injecting up to 69 gigawatt hours per year into the Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) grid.

Another plant will be built in Dondo district, Sofala province, near the city of Beira, with an output of 30 megawatts (MW).

According to INE (citing data from EDM), the rate of access to electricity has been rising every year, and by 2021 electricity would reach 38.6% of the Mozambican population.

In the same year, the public company EDM billed 3.5 million megawatts/hour nationwide, almost half in Maputo province and city.

The government has set a goal of achieving universal energy access by 2030.