The City of Windhoek’s 25-megawatt solar power project is at an advanced stage, with recommendations soon to be submitted to the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) board for consideration.
City of Windhoek Chief Executive Officer, Moses Matyayi, said the project — aimed at expanding the city’s renewable energy capacity — has undergone detailed reviews to ensure full compliance with legal and procurement requirements before final approval.
“There’s definitely been a little bit of clarity that needed to be provided in order for us to really ensure that everything else is being done above board. At the moment, we are about to make recommendations to the private-public partnership board to then sit and make a decision on this specific project,” Matyayi told Namibia Mining & Energy.
He explained that the due diligence process focused mainly on legal and procurement compliance under the Public-Private Partnership Act and the Procurement Act.
“Most of the aspects were more on the procurement side of things. We wanted to confirm that all the legalities required within the process are well-defined and in compliance, so that when it goes forward, everything is above board,” he said.
Matyayi did not provide an exact timeline for the board’s decision but indicated that outcomes are expected within the next one to two months.
The project stems from a 2021 bid by the City of Windhoek seeking an Independent Power Producer (IPP) to finance, procure, install, commission, and operate the 25MW solar PV plant on a build-own-operate basis for 25 years.
According to initial projections made in 2021, the project was expected to cost at least N$420 million.
In 2017, the Municipal Council of Windhoek approved the City of Windhoek Renewable Energy Policy to guide the development of renewable energy and increase its share in the city’s electricity mix. The 25MW solar PV project is one of the main outcomes of this policy and is being implemented under the Public-Private Partnership Act No. 4 of 2017.
