Renewable energies, in particular, hydro, have contributed decisively to bring power to more and more Angolans. Hydropower accounts for over 70% of electricity production in the country and, with the ongoing construction of Lauca and Cambambe II, will continue to represent the majority of grid connected generation in the country. Angola is already today one of the world's countries with greater incorporation of renewables.
However, we cannot rely only on water, which can also scarce due to natural causes, or on fossil fuels, which are nonrenewable, costly and pollute the environment. It is also necessary to diversify and invest in other energy sources and other types of projects: the new renewable energies. The new renewables are distributed more evenly across the territory, with the potential to support the electrification of the country in a more sustainable manner. The strategy that is now being approved is part of the strong commitment of the Government in the electrification of the country.
Solar power constitute a strong commitment, as Angola is a country that benefits from solar irradiation over the entireterritory for almost the whole year. The experience and success of the Solar Villages' program allows us to establish a new ambition: to reach every commune headquarters that will be off-grid until 2025. The higher irradiation in the center and south of the country and the lower costs allow to aspire for higher size projects that leverage the construction of factories and solutions to supply solar-based energy to the rural areas of Angola.
Our aim goes beyond solar energy, in particular, with regard to grid connectivity. Angola has vast forests, favorable agricultural areas for the exploitation of sugar cane, and municipal solid waste that can and should produce electricity, promoting job creation and the development of new sectors. There are countless possibilities to build small hydropower plants throughout the country, reducing costs and improving energy supply in isolated systems, in more remote areas of the network, or even in small local networks, that shall be boosted. The wind, in many upland areas of the country, from north to south, has enough quality to produce electricity in a compatible manner with the national network that we are currently building.
Angola is committed to the new renewable energies to bring more and better energy to our citizens. We are committed to targets, but above all with the desire to create the necessary conditions - legislative, regulatory, of incentives, financing, information and training - so that the public and privateinvestment in the new renewable energies of Angola can be a reality in a short time frame.
