NamPower has officially inaugurated the N$394 million Sekelduin Substation in Swakopmund, describing the facility as Africa’s first fully digital substation and a major milestone in Namibia’s electricity infrastructure development.
Speaking at the inauguration on Monday, NamPower Managing Director Kahenge Haulofu said the project was developed in response to growing electricity demand in the Erongo Region, driven by industrial expansion, economic development and population growth.
Construction of the substation began in July 2021 and was completed in March 2023. The facility will serve as the main transmission supply point for NamPower’s Swakopmund and Tamarisk substations, the NamWater South bulk water supply scheme serving the Husab Uranium Mine, and the Erongo RED distribution network.
“This substation will play a vital role in ensuring that the electricity network remains capable of meeting both present and future demand. Built at a cost of N$394 million, the Sekelduin Substation will now become the main transmission supply point for the existing NamPower Swakopmund and Tamarisk substations, the NamWater South bulk water supply scheme serving the Husab Uranium Mine, and the Erongo RED 33kV medium-voltage reticulation network,” he said.
According to NamPower, the substation has been designed to support future technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning applications, while enhancing cybersecurity and operational efficiency across the national grid.
The utility said the digital design reduces copper cabling requirements, improves remote asset monitoring, enhances fault-location accuracy and strengthens cyber-secure SCADA integration.
NamPower explained that the facility operates as an indoor 132/66/33kV switching station, using compact mixed-technology gas-insulated switchgear for the 132kV and 66kV circuits, while the 33kV circuit employs metal-enclosed switchgear. Two voltage transformation levels are derived from the 132kV busbar.
Haulofu also used the occasion to highlight several major transmission projects currently under development as part of NamPower’s Transmission Master Plan. These include the N$2 billion 400kV Auas-Kokerboom Transmission Line, expected to be commissioned in 2028, and the N$1.2 billion Obib-Oranjemond Transmission Line, which is scheduled for completion this year.
Other projects include the N$340 million Khomas Substation development in Windhoek, the N$170 million Erongo Substation project, and the recently completed N$330 million Masivi Substation in north-eastern Namibia.
“As alluded to earlier, NamPower has put in place a Transmission Master Plan that provides for major transmission backbone developments across the country. This plan ensures the construction of new transmission lines, new substations and the upgrading of existing transmission infrastructure,” Haulofu said.
He said the investments are aimed at strengthening the national transmission network, improving reliability and ensuring the grid can accommodate future electricity generation projects.
NamPower currently operates a transmission network spanning more than 12,000 kilometres across Namibia, with voltage levels ranging from 66kV to 400kV.
The utility commissioned and energised the new indoor 132/66/33kV Sekelduin Substation, located east of Swakopmund, in September last year.
