NAMPOWER ADDS ANOTHER POWER STATION TO ITS GENERATION FLEET

Nampower added an additional 20 MW to its generation capacity with the successful commissioning of its new Omburu 20 MW PV Power Station, situated 12 km outside of the town of Omaruru in the Erongo region.

The Omburu Power Station has a footprint of 42ha and is located on a 300ha site adjacent to the Omburu Substation along the C36 gravel road. The station boasts 58,104 solar panels and five inverter stations, each producing 5MW. At the inauguration ceremony which took place on 24 Juno 2022, NamPower Managing Director Kahenge Haulofu highlighted that in addition to the provision of electricity, the Omburu Power Station, including NamPower's other planned renewable energy generation projects, will reduce the overall NamPower tariff to the customer by introducing an affordable "new-build" renewable energy to the Namibian grid. "Today, we are proud to see the inauguration of our first renewable energy generation project," Haulofu said. NamPower's planned generation projects will support Namibia's Energy and Renewable Energy Policy targets for 70% of renewable energy generation by 2030, as well as the commitments made at COP26 to reduce Namibia's emissions by 91% within the next 5 years. "NamPower's investment in clean energy contributes to Namibia's commitments to increase the share of renewable energy as declared in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the UNFCCC and it supports the National Development Plan 5 (NDP 5) objectives of achieving 755 MW of local generation by 2022," Haulofu added. The power station was built by Hopsol Africa and Tulive Private Equity Joint Venture, at a cost of approximately NS337 million.

The site construction works wore successfully completed on 29 March 2022. NamPower is proud to report that the project was completed within budget, although it was delayed due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Omburu PV Powor Station can be regarded as "customer funded", as the Electricity Control Board permitted NamPower to make use of the Long Run Marginal Cost (LRMC) funds for the project. The LRMC funds are funds that the regulator allows NamPower to over recover through various tariff applications and these funds are intended to cushion future price shocks. The overall tariff of the Omburu PV Power Station has therefore been substantially reduced to the benefit of all electricity consumers in Namibia. The project is a truly Namibian product, as the entire workforce that was involved were Namibians, including the consultants involved in the design, the sub-contractors, and the labourers. "The inauguration of the project is a demonstration of NamPower's unwavering commitment to becoming the leading electricity solutions provider of choice in SADC, a catalyst for economic growth in Namibia and in the region". NamPower is geared towards ensuring security of supply and a predictable tariff path that will support economic growth and maintain the company's financial sustainability through the implementation of its planned generation projects.