9 June, 2022 News

Recap: Storage & Integration of Renewables in the Grid in Mozambique

Maputo, 25 May 2022 – The event "Storage and Integration of Renewables in the Grid in Mozambique" organised by the Lusophone Renewable Energy Association (ALER) and the Mozambican Renewable Energy Association (AMER), in partnership with Mozambique Electricity (EDM) and with the support of GET.invest Mozambique – funded by the European Union and Germany and integrated into the European GET.invest programme, took place on 25 May 2022.

This event, which marks ALER's return to in-person events, took place in Maputo at the Montebelo Indy Hotel and was streamed online to an audience from around the world.

The session also announced the Conference "Renewables in Mozambique 2022" to be held at the beginning of December on a date to be announced, organised by ARE, ALER and AMER.

The moderation of the event was carried out by the former Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME), Augusto de Sousa Fernando, and throughout the day, the current state and future developments of renewable energy projects and the electricity grid in Mozambique were presented. Among the 24 speakers, in interaction with the participants of the event, the storage and integration solutions of renewable production in the grid were discussed and the existing technical and regulatory framework was also analysed.

The event began with the opening speech of The National Director of Energy, Marcelina Mataveia, which reinforced the relevance of the theme in the current panorama, and detachor or the "goal of the five-year plan 200 MW of solar and wind energy by 2024, which will give greater visibility to renewable energies." In addition, it showed that "the Master Plan provides for the start-up of 30 renewable MW per year".

A MIREME spokeswoman pointed the need for "specific regulations to facilitate the transit of electricity on the grid", in which the "grid code can be seen as a tool to attract private investors with transparent grid access processes" whose review is underway. In addition,"reforms of the regulatory framework are underway, highlighting the proposed revision of the Electricity Act and the new regulation on access to off-grid energy to adapt the legal framework to the challenges of universal access using all sources, in particular renewable, creating conditions for private participation through concessions", said.

Also during the opening session, Verlee Smet of the European Union delegation in Mozambique said that "according to the Master Plan, 20% of renewable [energy] will be integrated into the grid against the current 1%." In this way, he stressed the need to "accelerate decarbonisation and abandon fossil fuels". The spokeswoman for the EU delegation also reinforced the support given to the PROLER Auction Programme, saying that it "represents a new paradigm in demonstrating that the transparency of competitions can promote competition resulting in the school of lower-cost solutions that guarantee final consumers the lowest possible tariffs."

Verlee Smet added that "the integration of renewables raises several technical issues (…) and inthis regard, it stressed the "development of the National Control Centre, which the EU intends to co-finance with Germany, Sweden, and the African Development Bank and  which will be key to the integration of renewables, balancing supply and demand in order to ensure the stability of the grid".

Also the German Embassy in Mozambique, was represented by the voice of Ingmar Kreisl, who took the opportunity to praise the country "for the adaptation of the new Electricity Law that provides a more conducive regulatory environment".  He also shared that "German cooperation, through KfW, developed the GET FiT Mozambique program" which aims to "build a portfolio of projects implemented successfully and minimising costs for the country and in order to contribute to the goal of universal access by 2030". Highlight or the importance of the "GET.invest program, implemented by GIZ in partnership with ALER and AMER, which aims to promote investment in private projects and businesses with decentralised renewable energy solutions".

The event also included the signing of a memorandum of understanding between AMER and ASAER (Angolan Renewable Energy Association), represented by Miquelina Menezes (AMER) and Alda Manuel (ASAER). This memorandum will allow an exchange between the two brother countries with regard to the exchange of experiences relating to the energy sector.

The closing session of the event was in charge of the two Associations responsible for the organisation, which were represented by Mayra Pereira, President of ALER, and Ricardo Pereira, President of AMER, in which two major international business conferences were announced, "Renováveis em Moçambique 2022" to take place in early December on the date to be announced and "Renewable Energy in Angola 2022" to be held in Luanda already on 5 and 6 July.