Namdeb Diamond Corporation (Namdeb) has secured an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) for the construction of its 34 megawatts (MW) wind farm.
The farm, with an estimated investment cost of N$922 million (US$51 million), will be located at Kerbehuk, located 45km north of Oranjemund with Namdeb as the off-taker. Envusa Energy, a special-purpose vehicle owned by Anglo-America and EDF-Renewables, has been the project partner for Namdeb on the study.
“Namdeb continues to undertake the work on the 33.6MW windfarm in Southern Coastal Mines as part of its commitment to address the climate change. Namdeb received the Environmental Clearance Certificate and has also commissioned a solar measuring station in Southern Coastal mines as part of investigating other potential alternative energy solutions,” Namdeb Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Impact Pauline Thomas said.
The certificate was issued on 24 June 2024 for the first phase of the project and set to expire in 2027 on the same date.
The wind farm plans will create 200 during construction and reduce the miner’s carbon emissions by 79,000 metric tonnes annually.
The wind farm is part of the diamond miner’s first phase of its carbon-neutral projects, which will also see the development of a larger solar facility solution to supplement the wind farm, with studies ongoing to evaluate options to electrify its current diesel-consuming operations.
Namdeb will be the sole off-taker of the wind energy produced, providing electricity at a lower cost, with most of the carbon emission reduction being through the replacement of fossil electricity and fossil fuels.
It is expected that construction and commissioning would take around 18 months, and therefore the plan is that the wind energy facility will commence commercial operations in late 2025.
Namdeb’s Portfolio Manager-Strategic Projects, Lionel Coetzee said a detailed engineering design phase is still in progress and no definitive decision has been made regarding the exact type of wind energy technology supplier.
“The prospective wind turbines that will be selected can range from around 3MW to 6MW units, each 100m to 125m high. Normally, wind turbines have a lifespan of 25-30 years, depending on environmental conditions. The exact operating and maintenance costs still need to be finalized. We are also still trading this off against other options before a final decision can be made.” he said.
Namdeb is owned in equal parts by the Namibian Government and De Beers, of which Anglo-American is the majority shareholder.
