EDP to support solar energy projects in five African countries

Portugal’s diversified electricity producer, EDP, through A2E Fund (Access to Energy), will support seven solar energy projects in five African countries, including Angola and Mozambique, with funding of 500,000 euros, the company announced on Thursday.

“The proposals selected in this third edition of the fund now have an overall funding of half a million euros, with which EDP aims to promote access to clean energy in more remote and deprived regions and thus help combat energy poverty in these areas,” the electric company said in a statement.

Solar energy is a common element of the seven projects that EDP will support in Angola, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda and Malawi and which cover refrigeration systems for fish and fruit in local markets, electrification of schools, health centres and the supply of technologies to desalinate water.

Therefore, as in previous editions, the A2E Fund focuses on initiatives in five priority areas – education, health, agriculture, companies and community – and values evaluation criteria such as social impact, partnerships, sustainability, expansion potential or financial viability.

Each of the projects in this new edition, which received 115 applications, “has financial support between 25,000 and 100,000 euros” and EDP estimates that its development may have a direct positive impact on the lives of 16,000 people and also indirectly benefit more than 15,000 people in these regions.

“The A2E Fund thus continues the programme started in 2018, adding since then a total support of one million euros to 13 projects that contributed to improve the lives of 65,000 people and indirectly, of about one million,” summarises the company.