The National Transport Network (Rede Nacional de Transporte, or RNT) forms the physical backbone of Angola’s power sector transformation. Under the Angola Energia 2025 vision, the grid is designed to interconnect all 18 provincial capitals, extend to an ever-increasing number of municipal and commune townships, maximize generation efficiency through system-wide dispatch optimization, and position Angola for electricity trade within the Southern African Power Pool. The centerpiece is the North-Central-South transport corridor, a 400 kV high-voltage backbone that ties together the country’s five electrical systems into a coherent national grid.
The Five Electrical Systems
Angola’s power infrastructure is organized into five geographically defined electrical systems, each historically operating with significant degrees of isolation from the others.
Northern System: Anchored by Luanda, this is by far the largest system, accounting for 78% of national electricity consumption in 2014. Generation relies on the Cuanza River cascade, including Capanda (520 MW), Cambambe (960 MW), Lauca (2,070 MW), and the Soyo gas complex (growing to 1,440 MW). The system is projected to grow from 1 GW to 4.3 GW of load by 2025, though its share of national demand drops from 80% to 60% as other systems expand.
Central System: Covers Benguela, Huambo, Bie, and Cuanza Sul provinces. Generation includes the Lomaum and Biopio hydro plants plus the planned Hydrothermal Project (combining 300 MW biomass with 200-450 MW of hydro on the Cutato, Cune, and Cunhinga rivers). The system is projected to reach 1.3 GW (19% of national load) by 2025, supported by new Queve River and Catumbela basin hydro projects including Balalunga (220 MW), Cafula (400 MW), Calengue (200 MW), and Lomaum 2 (160 MW).
Southern System: Serves Huila, Namibe, Cunene, and Cuando Cubango. Generation relies on the Matala dam (40.8 MW), the Jamba Ya Mina (180 MW) and Jamba Ya Oma (75 MW) projects on the Cunene River, the international Baynes project (200-300 MW for Angola), and thermal backup in Namibe (80 MW). The system reaches 0.8 GW (11%) by 2025, with supply heavily dependent on power transported from other systems via the corridor.
Eastern System: Covers Moxico, Lunda Norte, and Lunda Sul. The most underserved region, with generation planned through the Luapasso Hydroelectric System (3 projects, 80 MW total), a medium-sized hydro on the Cuango River, and 80 MW of thermal backup in Luena. Projected load of 0.5 GW (7%) by 2025.
Cabinda System: An exclave separated from the rest of Angola by the DRC. The Futila power plant is planned to grow to 235 MW using onshore natural gas. Connected at 220 kV to both Cabinda city and the DRC. Projected load of 0.2 GW (3%).
The 400 kV North-Central-South Corridor
The defining infrastructure investment of the Angola Energia 2025 vision is the 400 kV transmission corridor running from the hydro-rich northern generation centers through the central industrial regions to the southern provinces and international border connections.
This corridor serves four primary functions:
Competitive Energy Delivery: By connecting large, low-cost hydro generation in the north (Lauca, Caculo Cabaca, Soyo gas) with demand centers in the central and southern provinces, the corridor enables system-wide merit-order dispatch that minimizes generation costs.
Supply Security Enhancement: Interconnection allows any system to draw on generation surplus from other systems during local shortfalls. The n-1 security criterion, requiring the system to maintain supply even with the loss of the single largest generating unit or transmission line, is achievable only with robust inter-system transmission capacity.
Regional Interconnection: The corridor extends north to the border with the DR Congo and south to the Namibian border, enabling Angola’s participation in the SADC regional electricity market. Post-2025, the corridor is designed to transport new gas-based generation from emerging discoveries.
Generation Optimization: Hydro plants with regulation capacity (large reservoirs) can shift production from off-peak to peak hours, while the corridor transports this time-shifted energy to where demand is highest. Gas plants at Soyo provide flexibility to complement hydro during daily and seasonal load variations.
Transmission Voltage Architecture
The grid employs a hierarchical voltage structure:
| Voltage Level | Role |
|---|---|
| 400 kV | National backbone (North-Central-South corridor, Soyo-Luanda) |
| 220 kV | Inter-provincial transmission, major substation interconnection |
| 150 kV | Regional transmission within provinces |
| 110/132 kV | Sub-regional and industrial supply |
| 60/66 kV | Distribution backbone to municipality capitals |
| MV (Medium Voltage) | Rural distribution, municipality-level networks |
The 400 kV corridor from Soyo through Luanda southward carries the bulk power from the Cuanza River hydro cascade and Soyo gas plants. The 220 kV network branches from this spine to reach provincial capitals and major substations. The 60 kV network serves as the rural electrification backbone, with substations branching from 220 kV nodes to reach municipality capitals under the grid extension program.
Network Expansion Details by System
Northern System Transmission:
- 400 kV corridor from Soyo CCTG to Luanda substations
- 400 kV southward from the Lauca/Caculo Cabaca complex
- 220 kV ring around greater Luanda for distribution security
- 220 kV to Malanje (serving Capanda hydro interconnection)
- 220 kV to Uige and Zaire provinces
Central System Transmission:
- 220 kV connections from the North-South corridor to Benguela, Lobito, and Huambo
- 220 kV link to the Queve River hydro cascade (Balalunga, Cafula)
- 220 kV to the Catumbela cascade (Cacombo, Lomaum 2, Calengue)
- 60 kV distribution network to Bie province municipality capitals
Southern System Transmission:
- 220 kV from the corridor to Lubango and Namibe
- 220 kV southward to Cunene province and the Baynes hydropower project
- Interconnection with Namibian grid at the southern border
- 60 kV extensions to Menongue and Cuando Cubango municipality capitals
Eastern System Transmission:
- 220 kV planned axis connecting the Northern System to the Lunda provinces (North-East corridor)
- Local 60 kV networks from Luapasso hydro to Dundo and Saurimo
- 60 kV extensions to Luena (Moxico) with thermal backup
- Potential medium-hydro on Cuango River providing interim off-grid supply until the North-East corridor is completed
Cabinda System:
- 220 kV connection from Futila power plant to Cabinda city
- 220 kV cross-border connection to DRC
- Isolated from the mainland grid; relies entirely on local gas-fired generation
Electrification Model and Grid Reach
The Angola Energia 2025 vision evaluated three alternative electrification models, each with different implications for grid extent:
- Low Investment Model: Grid reaches 74 municipality capitals
- Expansionary Model: Grid reaches all municipality capitals (164+)
- Balanced Model (selected): Grid reaches 130 municipality capitals, with 31 served by isolated systems
The Balanced Model was chosen because it optimizes total system costs while promoting territorial balance. Grid extension provides lower per-unit supply costs than isolated generation, facilitating private sector distribution concessions, but only where the distance-per-consumption-unit ratio justifies the transmission investment.
Industrial Load Integration
The grid architecture is designed to serve 123 identified structural industrial projects with an estimated combined load of 1,134 MW. Nearly all projects are connected to the planned 2025 network, with only 4 projects totaling 4 MW in Moxico and Cunene provinces remaining off-grid.
The grid is also dimensioned to accommodate a potential energy-intensive industry (aluminum refinery or similar) consuming up to 800 MW. If this project materializes, the plan calls for adding 400 MW of gas-fired generation in Benguela and advancing the Zenzo I hydropower project (460 MW) on the Cuanza River.
Investment and Institutional Framework
Grid expansion investment falls under the public financing sphere within the power sector investment framework. The National Transport Network is operated by RNT, the state-owned transmission company, which is responsible for building, maintaining, and operating the high-voltage backbone.
Distribution infrastructure in urban areas is managed by ENDE, the national distribution utility, while rural distribution concessions are allocated to public or private operators through the PRODEL program framework.
The total investment needed for the 2018-2025 period across all power sector components is estimated at USD 23 billion, with transmission and distribution representing a significant share alongside generation.
Regional Integration Through the Grid
The North-Central-South corridor is the enabling infrastructure for Angola’s participation in the SADC Southern African Power Pool. Cross-border interconnections are planned at two points:
Northern Border (DRC): The Cabinda system connects at 220 kV to the DRC grid. Additionally, the planned Inga III hydropower project in the DRC could supply significant power to the Northern System via cross-border transmission.
Southern Border (Namibia): The Baynes dam on the Cunene River is a joint Angola-Namibia project. The southern extension of the corridor enables power flows in both directions: Angola exports surplus hydro in wet years and imports during drought periods.
The International Energy Agency provides comparative analysis of Angola’s transmission infrastructure within the broader African context.
Challenges and Forward Look
The North-Central-South corridor faces construction challenges across Angola’s vast territory, including difficult terrain, long distances between load centers, and the need for security along remote transmission routes. Climate change adds uncertainty to hydro generation patterns, potentially increasing the frequency and severity of drought years that stress the system.
However, the corridor’s strategic value extends well beyond the 2025 planning horizon. It establishes the physical platform for post-2025 generation additions, whether hydro (Zenzo I, Tumulo do Cacador), gas (new discoveries), or renewables (utility-scale solar and wind). The PDN 2023-2027 identifies infrastructure modernization as one of three fundamental pillars, with the power grid serving as a critical enabler of economic diversification.
North-Centre-South Transmission Corridor
The Rede Nacional de Transporte’s expansion strategy centers on the North-Centre-South corridor, which serves as the backbone connecting Angola’s five electrical subsystems. Under the Angola Energia 2025 vision, this corridor enables competitive energy dispatch across provinces, enhanced supply security through system interconnection, and future integration with the SADC regional power market through links to DR Congo in the north and Namibia in the south.
The corridor’s transmission infrastructure includes high-voltage lines at 220 kV and 400 kV, connecting major generation nodes on the Cuanza River cascade to demand centers across the country. The expansion to all 18 provincial capitals and the maximum possible number of municipal and commune townships drives the grid extension model adopted under the balanced electrification approach.
| Grid Expansion Parameter | Target |
|---|---|
| Provincial capitals connected | 18 (all) |
| Municipality seats via grid extension | 130 (balanced model) |
| Off-grid municipality seats | 31 |
| Population covered by grid | 93% (long-term) |
| 2025 electrification target | 60% of population |
| Total customers (2025) | 3.7 million household connections |
Load Distribution Rebalancing
The grid expansion drives a fundamental rebalancing of electrical load across Angola’s territory. In 2013, the Northern system dominated with approximately 80% of total national load. Under the balanced electrification model, load distribution shifts significantly by 2025: the Northern system retains 60% (growing from 1 GW to 4.3 GW), the Centre system reaches 19%, the South system 11%, the East system 7%, and Cabinda 3%.
This rebalancing supports the PDN 2023-2027’s second strategic axis of promoting balanced and harmonious territorial development. The grid extension to 174 locations outside major urban areas enables the electrification of approximately 1.7 million people living in municipal townships, using a model based on 60 kV substations branching from existing or planned 220 kV substations. This approach provides the foundation for private sector participation in distribution, as grid-connected municipal networks have significantly lower operating costs than diesel-based isolated systems.
Post-2025 Gas Transmission Integration
The North-Centre-South corridor is designed to accommodate future generation from new gas discoveries beyond the 2025 horizon. As the gas monetization strategy identifies new onshore and offshore gas resources, the transmission corridor provides the infrastructure to dispatch gas-fired generation from locations including Benguela, Namibe, and Cuanza Sul to the national grid. The corridor thus serves a dual function: connecting existing hydropower generation to demand centers today, while positioning the grid for gas-to-power integration in the coming decades.
Infrastructure Investment and Regional Connectivity
The grid expansion program draws on multiple financing mechanisms, including the FSDEA sovereign fund’s alternative investment allocation (50% of USD 3.9 billion in assets earmarked for infrastructure). The program supports the industrial development ambitions of the ZEE free trade zones and manufacturing sector by delivering reliable electricity to production facilities across the Luanda-Bengo corridor and provincial capitals.