ENDE’s Technical Loss Reduction Project, Angola

CONTEXT

Angola has made significant progress in rebuilding its economy and physical infrastructure which was severely damaged by the 27 years of civil war. The GoA has been making substantial investments to restore and reconstruct the social and economic infrastructure that was destroyed during the civil war. But increased investments in infrastructure have not necessarily translated into inclusive growth. For example, only 30% of Angola’s population benefits from access to power, lower than the 46% average for the nation’s resource-rich African peers. Going forward, this project seeks to support ongoing reforms aimed at addressing the power sector’s structural weaknesses and increasing the level, efficiency and effectiveness of the sector’s spending to support diversification and competitiveness of the economy.

OBJECTIVES

The main goal of the project is to help ENDE in conceiving an innovative solution for Energy Loss Reduction in Angola. Gesto will develop a National Energy Loss Reduction Action Plan based on the analysis and diagnosis of the system, as well as identification of network operating conditions leading to high losses.

The final output of the project will be a new technical procedure and solution for energy loss reduction in Angola, through the analysis of the assumptions, algorithms and procedures adopted by the ENDE for planning and strengthening of the electricity distribution network, in order to increase the overall efficiency of the network.

DESCRIPTION

The project will start with the acquisition of information about operational efficiency and structure of the distribution system, operating standards and operating conditions. This will help to understand the operational efficiency of the Northern Power System as a whole. The study will be further enriched by acquisition and analysis of data from distribution centers which will provide a local overview and an important zoom-in on the regional grid operations.

Gesto will then launch a measurement campaign to obtain measurements on selected feeders/networks for analysis of concrete conditions of operation. The result of these measurements along with Gesto’s innovative Energy Loss Analysis Simulations, based on real measurements, will help enable the identification of the main problems of the grid, as well as, main problematic geographic locations, where actions (like grid re-design) will have to be developed.

Gesto will then analyze the assumptions, algorithms and procedures adopted by the ENDE for planning and strengthening the electricity distribution network, in order to increase the overall efficiency of the network. Which will result in the creation of technical solutions for loss reduction, based on re-design of the  structure of the transport / distribution system in terms of redefinition of voltage levels, new energy loss minimization procedures, development of a new connections code to strengthen new connections against energy theft.

The specification of the main sources of inefficiency and identification of the most appropriate mitigation alternatives for each case, will enable Gesto to develop a new network selection procedure, in order to allow the establishment of the ordered list of networks according to priority of intervention, an prioritize investments according to loss reduction potential.

Furthermore, Gesto will evaluate the costs and benefits associated with each alternative for a planning horizon defined by the ENDE, undertaking sensitivity studies of the proposed solutions to address the main risk factors.

Finally, after the development of the main activities of the project, Gesto will define a master plan for Energy Loss Reduction in Angola. This plan will have to be defined with the collaboration of ENDE, taking into account its priorities, strategic objectives, amounts to be invested in this program and financing conditions.

SUMMARY OF SERVICES

• Technical Assessment of Operational Capacity of Northern Electrical System
• Field Data Retrieval from Designated Feeders
• Distribution Network and Grids Design
• Criteria Definition for Loss Reduction Planning
• Proposal of Technical Solutions for Energy Loss Reduction
• Technical-Economical Assessment of Proposed Technical Solutions for Energy Loss Reduction
• Energy Loss Reduction Action Plan
• Recommendation of New Software’s and Tools
• Procurement Documents Preparation