Chamwe Kaira
Witputz Energy (Pty) Limited, a local company is seeking to become an active renewable energy provider in Namibia and is planning to set up a 100MW solar plant in the //Karas region.
The company has already applied for about 150 hectares of land just west of Witputz village in the //Kharas Region, according to documents made available to Observer Money.
Witputz Energy says it is planning to become a major player in the renewable energy sector in the south western part of Namibia. The solar power plant construction activities will be conducted concurrently across the proposed area.
The solar power plant and other renewable energy activities are a listed activity in terms of the Environmental Management Act and will require an assessment.
The allocated area is located 40 kilometers north of Rosh Pinah or some 110 kilometers southeast of Aus, at the local village of Witputz in the //Karas region.
The government has been promoting the development of solar energy given Namibia’s potential to capture around 10 hours of strong sunlight per day for 300 days per year. Namibia has some of the highest solar irradiance potential of any country in Africa, which is sufficient to provide power for the country and its neighbours, according to the government.
The generation of solar power will complement Namibia’s available green energy portfolio, such as hydro-electricity, which already constitutes more than two-thirds of our installed power capacity.
Currently, at its peak, the economy consumes about 640 megawatts of power per annum whereas the proposals on solar energy presented to government entail investments that could produce 10 times that amount of peak generation capacity in the next 10 years.
About 40% of Namibia’s power currently comes from South Africa and is primarily driven by coal-fired power plants.
Namibia also boasts world-class port infrastructure in the cities of Luderitz to the south, and Walvis Bay to the east.
According to the Harambee Prosperity Plan, renewable electricity, and green hydrogen and its derivatives, provide Namibia with a real opportunity to attract meaningful foreign direct investment, create well-paying jobs, further diversify its export basket, and improve its terms of trade.
Power utility, NamPower source of energy include Ruacana Power Station, which is a 347 MW hydro plant, Van Eck Power Coal Station, which is a 120 MW emergency standby, the Anixas Power Station, which runs on diesel/heavy fuel Oil and has a capacity of 22.5 MW is also an emergency standby station.
NamPower’s only renewable power station is the Omburu Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Station with a capacity of 20 MW.
