Namibia imported 1,079 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity from South Africa during the financial year ending 31 March 2025, paying N$1.5 billion to Eskom, the country’s state-owned power utility.
According to data from Eskom and seen by Namibia Mining & Energy, Namibia’s electricity imports more than doubled from 423 GWh in 2024, although they remained below the 1,653 GWh recorded in 2022.
The increase in imports comes amid regional drought conditions that have reduced hydropower output, prompting Namibia to strengthen energy security through firm supply agreements with Eskom and other regional partners, including Botswana and Zambia.
Namibia is listed among Eskom’s top international customers, contributing to total international electricity sales of N$21.6 billion. Eskom data shows that international sales rose 40% year-on-year, driven by emergency power supply needs and opportunistic trade with neighbouring countries.
Other import volumes recorded by Eskom include Botswana (771 GWh), Eswatini (871 GWh), Lesotho (794 GWh), Mozambique (7,873 GWh), Zambia (1,847 GWh) and Zimbabwe (1,083 GWh).
As a member of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), Namibia continues to engage in cross-border electricity trade, helping maintain regional grid stability while meeting domestic energy needs.
The South African power utility noted that firm power supply agreements were concluded or extended with Botswana, Namibia and Zambia and expects such arrangements to become increasingly common as the generation mix evolves.
