NamPower – Windhoek Observer

27 Jul

Load shedding in SA lowers Namibia’s supply

ObserverNational NewsAndreas Simon, Eskom, Load shedding in SA lowers Namibia’s supply, Ministry of Mines and Energy, NamPower

Staff Writer Electricity supply to Namibia is reduced by five percent in every subsequent stage, when load shedding occurs South Africa. Andreas Simon, senior public relations officer at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, stated that Namibia has two power import contracts with Eskom and that South Africa’s power challenges influence the amount of electricity it provides to its foreign clients. “We have a 100MW firm deal signed earlier this year. Under this contract if Eskom load sheds, then they curtail our supply according to the stage of load shedding in South Africa. When its stage 1 or 2 load…

28 Jun

Nampower makes strides in solar energy

ObserverNational NewsKornelia Shilunga, NamPower, Nampower makes strides in solar energy, Omburu 20 MW Power Plant at a cost of N$317

Martin Endjala Nampower inaugurated its first fully owned and operated renewable energy Omburu 20 MW Power Plant at a cost of N$317 million, which is in line with the national plan linked to the HPP2 strategic pillar of energy supply. Nampower managing director Kahenge Haulofu said that the plant is a demonstration of the unility’s unwavering commitment to becoming the leading electricity solutions provider of choice in SADC and a catalyst for economic growth in Namibia and the region. The Omburu power station is expected to cater for about 16 000 to 18 000 households in the country. The power…

31 Aug

NamPower starts 287km transmission line

ObserverObserver Money, UncategorisedGridOnline, NamPower

Staff Writer THE country’s power utility, NamPower, has started constructing a 287km long 400 kV Auas-Gerus transmission line. This is part of the N$3,5 billion 833 kilometre expansion programme involving three projects. The line to run from Auas substation near Dordabis to Gerus substation near Otjiwarongo, is part of the company’s investment in expanding its 400kV transmission infrastructure backbone, by more than 800 kilometres. “The construction of the transmission line is a testament of NamPower’s ambition to deliver sustainable security of supply and a least-cost tariff path that will support economic growth and maintain the company’s financial sustainability,” reads a…

09 Mar

NamPower guns for debtors

ObserverObserver MoneyKaras Regional Council, NamPower

Maria Hamutenya NamPower has threatened to cut power supplies to local authorities, government ministries and agencies that owe it close to a billion Namibia Dollars. The move comes as the water utility, NamWater last week also announced that it’s owed more than a billion Namibia Dollars, with its biggest debtors also being local authorities , government departments and agencies. In its breakdown , NamPower listed 11 village councils especially in the South, namely Maltahohe, Bethanie, Gibeon and Koës to mention a few. While the Karas Regional Council was also listed among its debtors. Five municipalities, namely Rehoboth, Okahandja, Karasburg, Gobabis…

08 Oct

Young trainees driving innovation at the NamPower Training Centre

ObserverObserver MoneyNamPower, NamPower’s Vocational Training Centre

Sem Mathews (22) and Juan Pete Compaan (22) are two fourth year Electrical General students at NamPower’s Vocational Training Centre who are using the passion they have for their trade to create a technologically-smart NamPower. The two are at the forefront of research and development for the implementation of automated lighting for NamPower buildings. The journey that sparked this company-wide lighting automation project began when both Mathews and Compaan took part in World Skills Namibia in April 2019, a national competition that allows technical institutions and individuals to test their skills proficiency against peers in the same trade. “We first…

07 Aug

TUCNA leader fires several shots across the bow

ObserverNational NewsNamibia, NamPower, Namwater, SOEs

In a recent interview, Trade Union Congress of Namibia (TUCNA) Secretary-General Mahongora Kavihuha raised challenging issues. He makes one major misfire in his points and yet, he brings other issues to the table that can stimulate the national debate. He decried the supposed ‘deliberate’ destruction of parastatals. He believes that private companies are killing the SOEs so they can buy them up and control strategic portions of the Namibian economy. In the context of bemoaning 'schemes' about parastatals, Kavihuha asks whether the “pandemic itself was purposefully crafted to push some hidden agendas.” Perhaps the unionist's real intention was not reflected…

04 Aug

MTN, The GridOnline sign deal

ObserverUncategorisedGridOnline, MTN Namibia, NamPower

Staff Writer MTN Namibia has signed its first commercial contract for bulk data transmission services, provided by The GridOnline, a NamPower owned company, a move expected to grow Namibia’s ICT sector. “This significant event demonstrates another example of corporates consolidating efforts to propel the national and Southern African ICT sector forward and stabilising the framework within which development can be streamlined. The availability of reliable and affordable telecommunications is seen by both organisations as a fundamental pillar for the growth of a multitude of sectors, including education, trade and industry, medical services, tourism and entertainment, engineering and manufacturing, infrastructure development…

02 Jun

WHK informal settlements to get electricity

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Electricity Control Board (ECB), NamPower

Staff Writer NamPower and the City of Windhoek have signed a “Project Development and Transfer Agreement on the Electrification of Peri-urban Areas in the Municipality of Windhoek.” The project will be funded by NamPower to the tune of N$15.5 million as part of its Corporate Social Investment (CSI), aims to electrify 1,000 households in peri-urban areas of Windhoek. “According to this agreement, NamPower is committing to contribute to the improvement of the lives of communities living in peri-urban areas, in and around Windhoek, by providing electricity to one thousand (1,000) households, as part of NamPower’s corporate social investment,” NamPower Managing…

24 Apr

ECB declines power tariff hike

ObserverObserver MoneyCovid-19, Electricity Control Board (ECB), NamPower

Staff Writer Electricity Control Board (ECB) has declined NamPower’s tariff application for an effective bulk tariff (inclusive of generation and transmission) increase of 3.9 percent for the financial period 2020/2021. This would have seen an increase from an average N$ 1.65 per kilowatthour to N$ 1.71 per kilowatt-hour. “In determining the tariff, the ECB considered several factors, including the impact of the tariffs on the Electricity Supply Industry, consumers and the economy at large. In particular, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and the consumers as well as the current economic climate,” ECB Chief Executive Officer, Foibe…