Interview: Elisabete Alves, MCA Group

In early May, the Luau off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) park was inaugurated in the border town of Luau, located in the Moxico Leste province of eastern Angola.

The plant has an installed peak capacity of 32.2MW and a battery energy storage system (BESS) with a capacity of 79.77MWh, integrating about 55,000 solar panels. Its features mean the facility can ensure a continuous and stable supply of electricity 24 hours a day, while offsetting the usage of about 18 million litres of fuel.

The commissioning of the project will be done in phases, with the park to reach full operating capacity by June, with a direct impact on more than 100,000 inhabitants.

The Luau PV park was developed by Portugal’s MCA Group as part of the Rural Electrification Project, which aims to electrify 60 communes in the provinces of Malanje, Bie, Moxico, Moxico Leste, Lunda Norte and Lunda Sul. The scheme is part of the Angolan government’s focus on improving access to electricity in both urban and rural areas as well as reducing the reliance on fossil fuels for power generation.

MCA Group was founded in 1998 and currently has more than 1,500 employees in various locations. The company is active in the development, engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) and operation of projects in four business verticals: energy, urban development, infrastructure and healthcare. It began its international foray in 2006 in Angola and is currently present in three geographical clusters – the Iberian Peninsula, Central Europe and Africa.

ConstructAfrica interviewed Elisabete Alves, chief operating officer (COO) of MCA Group’s international infrastructure division and chairwoman of the MCA Angola board, following the inauguration of the Luau PV park.

“Rural electrification is a strategic national priority for Angola, forming a key pillar of the government’s objective to reach 50% electricity access by 2027,” says Alves.

Given the country’s vast geography and dispersed population, expanding access to reliable electricity is essential to unlock economic development, improve quality of life, and support social infrastructure such as healthcare and education, she notes. Electrification also enables the development of productive sectors including agriculture, mining, logistics and services by providing stable and affordable power, which is currently a major constraint in remote regions.

Work commenced in 2024 on the Rural Electrification Project, which involves two components, one being the construction of independent off-grid PV parks with lithium-ion BESS that will contribute 482GWh a year of energy through about 296MWp of PV and 719MWh of BESS capacity. The scheme is envisaged to directly impact almost 1 million people and approximately 203,000 homes.

The second component comprises the expansion of the national electricity grid and the electrification of communes through the construction of medium/low voltage distribution networks, and the supply and installation of prepaid meters in homes.

Overall, the programme includes the building of:

• 46 hybrid PV generation systems with BESS (mini-grids) that will operate autonomously without recourse to diesel generation;

• Hybridisation of the national grid through 14 grid-connected systems and grid infrastructure upgrades including the expansion of Malanje’s 110/30kV substation and the Andulo 220/30kV substation, as well as construction of two new 110/30kV substations in Malanje, supported by new 110kV and 220kV transmission lines;

• Construction of medium/low-voltage distribution networks and the supply and installation of a total of 202,657 prepaid meters for households.

According to MCA Group estimates, as an alternative to extensively extending the state grid or installing diesel generators as the main source of electricity, the Rural Electrification Project can save up to 7.9 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent and €5.9 billion over a 20-year period.

The scheme will also facilitate trade in that 16 of the 60 locations it will electrify are situated along the Lobito trade corridor in Angola, which connects mining hubs in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to the deepwater Port of Lobito on Angola’s Atlantic Ocean coast. The Lobito corridor has the potential to become Africa’s first transcontinental transport route, linking to the Indian Ocean and serving as a key axis for regional development and integration. The scheme has therefore been included under the EU’s Global Gateway investment initiative.

MCA Group is undertaking the EPC and project management of the Rural Electrification Project along with its German subsidiary MCA Deutschland. Lebanon-based Dar al-Handasah provided consultancy services. The total project investment cost is €1.29 billion (US$1.5 billion), with €1.2 billion of this provided by export credit agency (ECA) partner Euler Hermes of Germany.

Alves reveals the Rural Electrification Project is already more than halfway completed, with two sites successfully delivered and commissioned – the Luau and Cazombo mini-grids.

The 25.4MWp Cazombo park, located in the Moxico Leste province, was commissioned in early December 2025 and has a 75.3MWh BESS, serving more than 136,000 people. The plant features more than 40,000 solar panels, and will allow an annual saving of about 10 million litres of fuel.

Additional projects in Cafunfo (42.4MW) and Cuango (11.5MWp) in the Lunda Norte province are progressing steadily. As of late January, 19,968 solar panels had been installed at the Cuango park, which will be connected to a transmission line of about 25km, supplying 9,500 homes in the initial phase. The project is expected to come online in July along with the Cafunfo plant, which will be connected via a 50km transmission line to the grid, benefiting more than 100,000 citizens.

On the overall project, Alves says the remaining work mainly consists of finalising the construction and commissioning of the outstanding sites, ensuring full operational status of all systems, and completing last-mile connections. “The company’s priority for the coming year is to deliver all remaining installations and ensure the entire network is fully operational and provides reliable electricity to local communities,” she says.

The COO notes that the Rural Electrification Project brings together a consortium of international industrial partners and technology providers, with a strong contribution from European – particularly German – companies.

Key suppliers include SMA for inverters and associated technical components, alongside several German firms providing cables, transformers, structures, protection systems and other electrical equipment. PV modules are supplied by a South Korean manufacturer, selected based on prior performance and quality in earlier MCA Group projects.

MCA Group leads the project end-to-end, covering development, engineering, procurement, construction and financing, ensuring integration of all contractors into a single delivery framework.

According to Alves, PV technology was selected as the most suitable solution for rural electrification in Angola due to its scalability, cost-effectiveness and adaptability to remote contexts.

“In areas where extending the national grid is economically unfeasible, decentralised systems combining solar generation with battery storage allow for reliable and competitive electricity supply,” she says. “The solution integrates PV generation, lithium-ion battery storage and distribution networks, ensuring continuous power supply while minimising dependence on fossil fuels and reducing operational costs compared to diesel-based alternatives.”

On challenges faced during the Rural Electrification Project, Alves names logistical complexity as one of the main challenges in executing projects across 60 geographically dispersed and remote locations, often with limited infrastructure access.

“Additional challenges include permitting processes, environmental and social compliance, land access and, in some cases, demining activities prior to construction,” she says.

“To address these challenges, MCA has adopted a tailored, site-specific engineering approach, robust project planning and strong local engagement. The company also invests heavily in training local technicians to build operational capacity and ensure long-term sustainability of the assets.”

MCA Group also undertook a 370MW PV project through solar parks in Saurimo, Luena and Lucapa, Bailundo and Cuito, with a total value of €523 million. The scheme was executed for the government through the public electricity production company Prodel, with structured financing from Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK) and reinsurance by Swedish ECA EKN and South Korean ECA K-Sure, along with a commercial component from Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA). Overall, the scheme is expected to benefit more than 2 million people and about 400,000 homes in Angola.

MCA Group is also involved in major road and water projects in the country. The group is also actively pursuing expansion across Sub-Saharan Africa, says Alves, using Angola as its main operational hub.

The company is particularly focused on neighbouring countries and high-potential markets in energy and water infrastructure, with plans to establish a second operational hub in East Africa to support regional growth.

“Additionally, MCA Group sees the Angola rural electrification programme as a scalable model that can be replicated in other countries, enabling further investment and project development across the continent,” says Alves.

Meanwhile, Angola has scored additional wins in the electrification department, having signed a joint development agreement in mid-April with Namibia for the 166km Angola-Namibia (ANNA) power transmission interconnector project. Minister of Energy and Water Joao Borges said the scheme is part of the government’s strategy to expand the production, transmission and distribution of electricity, as well as the commitment to actively contribute to the energy landscape of Southern Africa.

Top photo: Elisabete Alves (Source: MCA Group)