President Filipe Nyusi on 27 November urged residents of the Chintholo administrative post, in Cahora Bassa district, in the western province of Tete, to actively participate in fighting against theft and vandalisation of electrical equipment.
The President was speaking after inaugurating a solar power station at Chintholo, which cost about 72 million meticais (US$1.13 million), provided from the state budget.
The station can generate up to 100 peak kilowatts (kWp). It can produce annually more than 200 megawatt-hours and can store 460 kWh. Its network extends for 7.5 kilometres and it will be able to increase the supply of power, depending on the demand.
In its initial phase, the power station is supplying electricity to 200 consumers, including the headquarters of the administrative post, the local school and health centre, and several homes and businesses. In addition, a hundred lampposts have been installed for public illumination.
The ceremony, said President Nyusi, "not only marks a new stage for the population of Chintholo but is also a priority achievement for the government". He stressed that, by 2024, the government intends to electrify all administrative post headquarters. The government, he added, is also building infrastructures that favour industrial activities such as agro-processing, and access to health and education services.
This, said President Nyusi, is irrefutable proof of the government's commitment to the continual improvement in the quality of life of all Mozambicans, particularly in the rural areas where the majority of the population lives.
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Autonomous electricity systems, drawing their power from renewable sources, such as the Chintholo station, should reach 320,000 households in 2022, as part of the government's drive to ensure universal access to electricity by 2030.
President Nyusi said that, by the end of this year, 52 per cent of the population will have access to electricity in their homes. This compares with 44 per cent in 2021.
He challenged all the beneficiaries of the Chintholo power station to use the electricity productively and maximise its benefits. They should all be aware of the need to conserve the power infrastructures, and to pay for electricity services.
On 25 November, President Nyusi inaugurated a solar power station at Chipera, in Maravia district, in Tete. This can also generate up to 100 peak kilowatts (kWp) and annually produce over 200 megawatt-hours. Its storage capacity is larger, at up to 600 kilowatt-hours. The power station cost 87 million meticais (US$1.4 million) which also came from the Mozambican state budget.
Currently, the government's energy fund FUNAE operates 76 photovoltaic systems throughout the country, which are providing electricity for 580 schools, 560 health centres, and 74 offices of administrative posts.
