Namdeb and NamPower have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at advancing the development and integration of renewable electricity projects into Namibia’s national grid and supporting Namdeb’s mining operations.
The agreement, signed on Tuesday, marks a key milestone in Namibia’s energy transition and supports Namdeb’s ambition of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.
This comes as Namdeb plans to develop the Kerbehuk Ridge Wind Energy Project, to be located approximately 45 kilometres north of Oranjemund, within Mining Licence 43, with Namdeb serving as the sole off-taker of the electricity generated.
Namdeb and NamPower said they have identified an opportunity to upscale the project and connect it to the national grid operated by NamPower, leveraging their combined strengths.
“This MoU signifies more than a partnership; it is a statement of intent to power progress—responsibly and sustainably,” said Namdeb Chief Executive Officer Riaan Burger.
“We have an ambition to become carbon neutral and have done a significant amount of work on that,” Burger said.
“We introduced Namibia’s first battery electric bus in 2023 in efforts to start electrifying our vehicle fleet and also introduced electrical forklifts, with an intention over time to electrify as many of our mobile equipment as possible. We continue to look at other opportunities to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.”
He added: “The Kerbehuk Wind Facility will replace nearly half of our high carbon-intensity electricity sourced externally and is a major project to propel us towards our carbon neutrality goal.”
NamPower Managing Director Kahenge Haulofu said the agreement aligns with NamPower’s own renewable energy goals. “NamPower’s objectives to reach its renewable energy targets by 2030 align with Namdeb’s goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2030,” he said.
“One of NamPower’s pillars is that of collaboration with other partners and entities, and this project fulfils our aspirations of collaboration with partners in our energy space,” Haulofu added. “Namdeb has truly demonstrated innovation and transformational leadership in their operations, and we are happy to join hands and make Namdeb our customer. This MoU will indeed pave the way for more partnerships.”
Burger said the collaboration with NamPower “not only supports our operational goals but also strengthens Namibia’s energy independence and climate resilience.”
Namdeb is jointly owned by the Government of Namibia and De Beers Group.
