Mozambique government bets big on the potential of renewable energy at Business Conference
8 December 2022 | The Mozambican Renewable Energy Association (AMER), the Lusophone Renewable Energy Association (ALER), and the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) organised the Business Conference – Renewables in Mozambique on 6-7 December 2022 in Maputo, with the support of GET. invest Mozambique.
By the end of 2022, it is estimated that the total electrification rate in Mozambique will reach 44%. The government is committed to providing all Mozambicans with high-quality, affordable and sustainable electricity by 2030, and, for this purpose, launched the Energy for All Programme, coordinated by the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME). Off-grid solutions are expected to play a key role to achieve this goal. Set to support the energy access goals through the promotion of renewable energy, the two-day business conference gathered the Mozambican public and private sectors as well as other national and international actors.
The event kicked off with opening remarks from Teodoro Vales, Permanent Secretary of MIREME; Antonino Maggiore, Head of the Delegation of European Union (EU) to Mozambique; Lothar Freischlader, German Ambassador; Ricardo Pereira, President of AMER; Mayra Pereira, President of ALER; and David Lecoque, CEO of ARE.
The high-level panel on the Mozambican Renewable Energy Market took place on the first day of the event and was followed by a handful of insightful panels and sessions. The programme continued with sessions on market scoping and opportunities for on-grid and off-grid sectors.
Stressing the potential of renewable energy resources in Mozambique, Lothar Freischlader, German Ambassador to Mozambique said “The German Government is committed to supporting Mozambique with a portfolio of 240 million EUR in projects in the sustainable energy sector, thus contributing to a fair energy transition. We would like to congratulate the Mozambican Government for the significant improvements to the regulatory framework of the energy sector in the last year with the publication of the new National Electricity Law and the Regulation of Access to Energy in rural areas, which aim to adapt the legal framework for the challenges of universal access to energy and create conditions for opening up the energy sector to private investments.”
The first day of the event also featured the presentation of “Briefing: Renewables in Mozambique 2022”. In this regard, the Briefing was presented with the latest data, showcasing Mozambique as a country with a high potential for renewable energy resources, ambitious targets to meet SDG 7, a favourable regulatory framework, projects identified in all segments and technologies, tenders released for IPPs and mini-grids, a wide range of support from cooperation partners and their programmes, an ambitious private sector with experience in the market and with examples to showcase.
On the second day of the event, the programme started with the high-level panel on the role of renewables to achieve Mozambique’s SDG and climate commitments and continued with the sessions on renewable energy meeting other sector demands, and financing. At the closing of the conference, EDFI ElectriFI announced the launch of a EUR 15 million country window to unlock, accelerate and leverage private sector investment to increase or improve access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy in Mozambique.
“We are very glad that Mozambique joins the ElectriFI family together with many other African countries. Out of the 113 million EUR of committed investments through country windows, we are proud to say that 75% are for investment projects in sub-Saharan Africa. In adhering to this initiative, Mozambique, the national private sector and international investors will take advantage of the network of 15 European Development Finance Institutions (EDFIs) from EU Member States, which have joined forces and are jointly managing this initiative. This great opportunity will help channel liquidity from DFIs and commercial funders to the private sector in Mozambique.” said Antonino Maggiore, European Union Ambassador to the Republic of Mozambique.
Throughout the event, the lively exhibition provided participants with the opportunity to showcase their products and services and forge new business relationships. Furthermore, the GET.invest Matchmaking sessions allowed more than 114 meetings to take place between business partners in the region and investors, technology providers, project developers, as well as government officials. Delegates also had the chance to network during breaks and evening receptions.
Attracting 241 delegates on-site and 183 virtual participants on day 1 and 127 virtual participants on day 2, the event was also backed by a number of sponsors including MATEMO as gold sponsor, ElectriFI as silver sponsor, and AECF, BCI, MDR and Solarworks! Moçambique as bronze sponsors.
Concluding the 2-day event, David Lecoque, CEO, ARE said: “Decentralised renewable energy (DRE) solutions are expected to be at the core of advancing clean, sustainable, and affordable energy access in Mozambique and the Southern Africa region. With the key support from GET.invest and in collaboration with ALER and AMER, ARE was thrilled to promote renewable electrification through catalysing business partnerships and knowledge exchange in this unique event.”
Isabel Cancela de Abreu, Executive Director, ALER said: “Mozambique has been experiencing great dynamic in the renewable energy sector, across all market segments, from IPPs, C&I, mini-grids and solar home systems. This has been possible thanks to the support from several cooperation partners and will be further enhanced thanks to the recent publication of the new electricity law and off-grid access regulation, both of which foresee openness and more participation from the private sector. This conference is an exceptional opportunity to understand how to navigate this vibrant market and get to know all the relevant stakeholders.”
Ricardo Pereira, President, AMER said: “AMER is proud to work with its partners in co-organising the biggest conference of the renewable energy sector in Mozambique. Since our last major conference, there have been significant developments in the key aspects required to unlock the enormous potential of renewables in the country, which include a more robust legal framework, the availability of financing mechanisms and a truly collaborative effort between public and private sector in providing the confidence that this is indeed the sector that will define the energy future of Mozambique. We are certain that participants in this conference shall leave knowing that Mozambique is indeed the most exciting market for renewable energy in Southern Africa.”