Angola has secured a major step forward in its renewable energy ambitions after a power purchase agreement was signed for the 150-megawatt Quipungo solar photovoltaic project in the country’s south. The agreement locks in long-term electricity offtake and gives the project the commercial certainty required to move toward financing and construction.
The PPA was concluded with Angola’s state-owned transmission and offtake company, Rede Nacional de Transporte de Electricidade (RNT-EP), and signed on 11 January on the sidelines of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) General Assembly during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. For Angola, the deal marks one of the clearest signals yet that utility-scale solar projects can be structured on bankable terms.
Located in Huila Province, the Quipungo site is the first contracted project under Project Royal Sable, a planned 500 MW solar programme that will be developed in phases across three locations in southern Angola. By anchoring the first project in the portfolio, the PPA establishes a reference point for the remaining sites, reducing risk for investors and lenders assessing the wider programme.
Read Also: What is Morocco’s 500 MWp C&I rooftop solar programme and how will it work?
Once fully built out, Project Royal Sable is expected to add meaningful capacity to Angola’s southern grid, which has historically faced supply constraints and limited diversification. The full 500 MW programme is projected to supply electricity to around 300,000 homes and create more than 2,000 jobs during construction and operation, according to project backers.
Senior Angolan officials attended the signing, including the Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, underscoring the government’s support for large-scale renewable deployment as part of its broader energy strategy. IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera described the agreement as an example of how national energy plans can be translated into commercially viable infrastructure.
The Quipungo project is being developed by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC (Masdar), marking the company’s first power purchase agreement in Angola. Masdar has expanded rapidly across Africa in recent years, largely through its joint venture Infinity Power, which operates renewable assets in South Africa, Egypt and Senegal. Angola adds a new market to that footprint at a time when international developers are increasingly selective about where they deploy capital.
For Angola, the PPA comes as the country looks to reduce reliance on hydropower, which remains vulnerable to drought, and diesel generation, which is costly and carbon-intensive. Solar offers a faster-to-deploy option, but progress has been slowed in the past by concerns over grid readiness and offtake risk. Securing a long-term tariff agreement with the national utility directly addresses those concerns.
The agreement also carries wider implications for the region. Angola has significant untapped solar potential, but limited track record in closing utility-scale deals. By moving Quipungo into the contracted phase, the country signals to developers and financiers that large renewable projects can reach financial close under its regulatory framework.
By Thuita Gatero, Managing Editor, Africa Digest News. He specializes in conversations around data centers, AI, cloud infrastructure, and energy.
