NamPower says it currently has no Solar PV commitments beyond the 20MW Khan Solar IPP PV and the recently completed 20MW Omburu PV project.
This comes as the power utility’s Omburu PV project was recently connected to the national grid, while any change in its investment position will be guided by the National Integrated Resource Plan (NIRP), which is due to be completed.
“The Omburu 20MW PV Power Plant was connected to the national grid in March 2022. The initial targeted timeline of November 2021 could not be reached due to the delayed delivery of critical components as a result of the impact of Covid-19 on various equipment suppliers,” NamPower Managing Director Kahenge Haulofu told The Brief.
“The revised National Integrated Resource Plan (NIRP) which is expected to be finalised by the Ministry of Mines and Energy this year, will play a key role to guide NamPower’s commitment towards the investment of additional solar plants in the future.”
On the final costs for the Omburu Solar PV plant, which had initially been estimated at N$500 million, the NamPower MD said, “the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) Contract has not yet been concluded, therefore the final costing of the Project is still to be finalised and audited by the regulator.”
He said total installed capacity of utility-scale solar PV plants with NamPower as the off-taker, currently stand at 146.5 MW, with capacity expected to increase in the short to medium term from customers within the Modified Single Buyer (MSB) Market Framework introduced by the Electricity Control Board.
“The total installed capacity of utility-scale solar PV plants with NamPower as the off-taker currently stands at 146.5 MW. Another 20MW IPP project is currently under construction near Usakos. This capacity is in line with the solar PV generation projects as approved by the Ministry of Mines and Energy,” Haulofu said.
“It is expected that more solar PV generation capacity will be added in the short to medium term with more uptake from Contestable Customers within the Modified Single Buyer (MSB) Market Framework which was recently introduced by the regulator. It is difficult for NamPower to provide an accurate estimate of the potential future uptake of solar PV plants within the MSB Market since this would largely depend on the appetite of the private sector.”
The Omburu 20 MW PV Power Plant on completion was expected to consist of 33 000 solar panels and 100 inverters, and supply 20 000 Namibian households with clean renewable energy via the NamPower grid.
Namibia’s National Development Plan targets to have the country’s overall generation capacity to 750MW. This would ensure more access to energy for Namibian households and complement the country’s development plans.
