N$1.6bn Lüderitz wind farm to boost energy supply

The N$1.6 billion Diaz wind farm, developed by InnoVent in the Tsau||Khaeb National Park near Lüderitz, was inaugurated on Friday.

NamPower managing director Simson Haulofu at the event said keeping electricity supply costs affordable for consumers must go hand in hand with the expansion and diversification of electricity supply.

He said the government recognises that energy sector activities must focus on local energy resources.

Harnessing domestic wind resources supports these efforts by reducing exposure to fuel price fluctuations, he said.

“Secure, reliable and competitively priced energy remains the feedstock of developing commercial and industrial sectors, and it directly supports the government’s efforts to uplift the standard of living for Namibians, irrespective of where they live in the country.

“Namibia has gone a long way to attract investments to develop oil and gas hydrocarbon potentials, and efforts are on-going to encourage further exploration and productive exploitation of the country’s resources,” Haulofu said.

The managing director said the company is implementing multiple renewable energy projects, which will bring the country closer to achieving 80% energy self-sufficiency by 2028.

He said the country’s white paper on energy states that internationally, as well as in southern Africa, energy landscapes are rapidly changing and driven by the realisation that fossil fuels are finite and that their continued use has undesirable impacts on our health, the environment and the climate.

Existing technologies and markets are transforming towards the uptake of more carbon-neutral energy supplies, Haulofu said.

Furthermore, he said the aim is to bolster the country’s energy security and reduce dependence on electricity imports.

“Currently, Namibia imports up to 70% of its electricity from neighbouring countries like Zambia and South Africa. But with those countries facing generation problems, imports have reduced,” Haulofu said.

NamPower manages a diverse supply portfolio that includes its power stations, local independent power producers and diversified import contracts.

Since July last year, Namibia’s electricity imports from Zambia have dropped from 180MW to 120MW, in response to Zambia’s announcement of power cuts and export limits due to drought conditions affecting its hydro-power generation.

French renewable energy company InnoVent developed the plant. Chairman Gregoire Verhaeghe says the plant features 11 wind turbines with a total capacity of 44MW to 50MW, currently generating initial power of around 32MW online.

He says the plant connects directly to the national grid to supply power via NamPower.

“The plant is projected to generate over 230GWh annually, supplying roughly 5% to 6% of Namibia’s total electricity demand, while [preventing] between 177 000 and 200 000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year,” Verhaege says.

||Kharas governor Dawid Gertze at the inauguration welcomed the plant, saying only about 34% of Namibians have access to electricity and that the introduction of renewable energy will increase that number.

“There is an expectation for our people to see the pricing of energy coming down with this new invention and this new development. Take it from me, my people want to hear better as we are moving along,” he said.

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