Namibia imported 548.5 million kilowatt-hours (KWH) of electricity in the first quarter of 2025, a sharp increase from 491.7 million KWH recorded in the same period last year, amid rising demand and a dip in local generation.
This is according to data released by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), which shows that domestic electricity production declined by 3.9% year-on-year, falling to 816.6 million KWH from 850.2 million KWH in the first quarter of 2024.
“Over the same period, electricity sold rose by 2.5% to 920.1 million KWH, indicating stronger consumption despite weakening output. The decline in the subsector is driven by the decrease in the units of electricity generated in the country,” the NSA stated.
The drop in local supply weighed heavily on the electricity and water sector’s overall performance, which grew by just 0.5% in real value added—well below the 8.3% growth recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2024.
The NSA noted that the water subsector helped offset the weaker performance, expanding by 2.8% in real value added. This marks a recovery from a 3.8% contraction registered in the first quarter of 2024.
“The performance in the sector is ascribed to the water subsector that recorded a growth of 2.8 percent in first quarter of 2025 compared to a decline of 3.8 percent registered in the corresponding quarter of 2024,” the agency said.
Meanwhile, the electricity subsector contracted by 0.4% in real value added, a sharp reversal from the 13.7% growth seen in the first quarter of last year.
Despite the annual decline, domestic electricity production has shown quarterly improvement, increasing from 405.4 million KWH in the third quarter of 2024 to 521.4 million KWH in the fourth quarter, and reaching 816.6 million KWH in the first quarter of 2025—the highest level recorded since early 2024.
