Empresa Nacional de Electricidade (ENDE) President Ruth Safeca has said investment of money lent by China has helped increase the number of consumers the power company serves, Angop reports.

The Angolan state-run news agency quotes Ms Safeca as saying ENDE had almost 1.7 million customers at the end of last year, 14 percent more than a year earlier.

Ms Safeca said this growth and a new tariff had helped increase annual revenue by 32 percent last year to 56 billion kwanzas (about US$113.9 million).

She said ENDE was planning to install 800,000 meters that make consumers pay in advance for the electricity they use.

The company intends to expand its distribution network this year to cover the provinces of Huambo, Benguela and Luanda, Angop quotes Ms Safeca as saying.