Mozambique rural areas to receive solar panels

Nov 27, 2007 - Xinhua

Mozambique is to launch a project to provide solar panels to a number of districts which have not been covered by the country's power grid in 2008, local media AIM reported on Tuesday.

This investment, by the National Energy Fund (FUNAE), is to cater mainly for the districts that are not yet benefiting of the power distributed by the publicly owned Mozambican electricity company EDM, and for which perspective for that effect are not for soon.

Energy Minister Salvador Namburete said in Maputo on Sunday that this project is to create conditions for providing electricity at least to key sectors such as education and health in those districts, particularly in the least favored localities.

In a first stage, this project is to benefit 150 schools and a similar number of health units.

He explained this investment comes because "there are schools without electricity in the country, health posts and maternities, that have to function, even at night, using kerosene lamps or candles for the lack of electricity."

Without mentioning the amounts or the priority districts in this project, Namburete said that the cost of this project is relatively low if compared with that of electrification using the national power grid.

Less than 8 percent of the Mozambican population had access to electricity in 2005, and the majority of those who did were living urban areas, and in the rural areas only 2 percent had access to this commodity.

One of the factors that is thought to hinder electrification in the country, particularly in the rural areas, is the fact that poverty will not allow a return of the money invested.