Diplomatist Magazine Diplomatist September 2019 | Page 56

A frica Diary
The Government of Angola has a National Strategy
for New Renewable Energies that carries a target
of 800 Megawatt. Also, India is keen to reduce its
dependence on hydrocarbon to meet its international
obligations on carbon emission reduction
Possibilities in the power and electricity
sector
Other key sectors for cooperation are
power and electricity. This would substantially
contribute to the Angola Strategy 2025 as
the country looks forward to diversifying its
economy. The present installed capacity in
Angola is 6,400 Megawatt and it has targeted to
take it to 7.5 Gigawatt in 2022 and 9.9 Gigawatt
by 2025. There is immense potential for Indian target of 800 Megawatt. Also, India is keen
to reduce its dependence on hydrocarbon to
meet its international obligations on carbon
emission reduction. As per the Report on
India’s Renewable Electricity Roadmap 2030,
it is estimated that India has the potential
to generate 10,000 Gigawatt through solar
energy and 2,000 Gigawatt through wind
energy. Also, India intends to develop the most
cost-effective and efficient technology in this
sector. Therefore, a pragmatic public-private
partnership model needs to be channelized
for soliciting mutual investments and capacity
development in the new and renewable energy
sector. Cooperation in solar, wind and biomass
will be mutually beneficial. As both the countries
are looking forward to developing renewables
as their energy source, there is a huge scope for
collaboration in this field, especially in areas such
companies to make significant investments in
the power sector in Angola. As the electricity
demand increases, Angola would be seeking
further investments, given the fact that rural
electrification in the country stands at only 8
percent. Also, there are more than 150 sites in
Angola that have been identified as potential
sites for the development of large hydro-power
plants. Thus, there exist immense possibilities for
India-Angola joint projects in the power sector. as the production of low-cost solar panels, joint
investments, and technical capacity-building.
Thus, such cooperation in the domain of
energy will help the countries in leveraging
their respective advantages for ensuring energy
security. Also, providing sufficient policy space
to the five key drivers enlisted herein would be
crucial for our energy diplomacy with Angola
and also with other oil-based economies in
times to come. n
Cooperation in new and renewable energy
For climate change mitigation and
adaptation, both countries have drafted ambitious
policies that focus on renewable energy. The
Government of Angola has a National Strategy
for New Renewable Energies that carries a * Dr. Faisal Ahmed is an Associate Professor
of international business at the FORE School
of Management, New Delhi. Shubham Yeole
is a postgraduate student of the International
Managers Group at the FORE School of
Management
56 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 9 • September 2019, Noida