New solar project raises job hopes

THE political hierarchy and residents of both Katima Mulilo,Ongwediva and Ondangwa are eager to create jobs and economic spin-offs from the envisaged solar-powered-plant in both towns – a brainchild of the Northern Regions Electricity Distributor (NORED) which seeks to enhance secure security of supply and curb power outages.

The project, spearheaded by M-uuzilo Trading Enterprise (M-uuZilo) through its special purpose vehicle (SPV) Omukwa Renewable Energy (ORE), a local wholly Namibian owned renewable energy Independent Power Producer (IPP), was approved by NORED in November 2022, to set-up a 10megawatt plant in Katima Mulilo. The project in Ongwediva, is spearheaded by Delta Energy (Delta), also a local wholly Namibian owned renewable energy IPP that was approved by NORED in November 2022, to also set-up a 10megawatt plant. The project in Ondangwa, is spearheaded by PMP Energy Namibia (PMP), also a local wholly Namibian owned renewable energy IPP that was approved by NORED in November 2022, to also set-up a 10megawatt plant.

The envisaged construction and completion of the plants would mark a significant stride towards energy independence in Namibia, particularly its power utility, NamPower, which aims to mitigate reliance on its counterparts in southern Africa which has been a stumbling block as a result of interruptions particularly, due to the dysfunctional state of its main supplier Eskom, in South Africa.

In 2022, Namibia imported $235M in Electricity, becoming the 49th largest importer of Electricity in the world. At the same year, electricity was the 5th most imported product in Namibia. This makes energy one of the most imported commodities.

Namibia imports 67,4 percent of its power form the neighboring countries and the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP) market to meet its energy demands. This represents an increase from 59 percent during the 2019/20 financial term.

As such, Katima Mulilo, which is the first beneficiary of power from Zambia, caused a public outcry due to frequent blackouts, and its Mayor John Ntemwa, says the new solar-plant will have a “significant” positive impact on the frequency and duration of power in the town.

“The Council’s enthusiasm for the construction of the first-ever solar-plant in our town is immense.

This project is not just about energy, it’s a transformative leap towards sustainable development, resilience and self-sufficiency. You need to note that the Katima Mulilo Town Council’s (KMTC) endeavours in harnessing solar energy, which is a plentiful resource in our region, we are not only diversifying our energy portfolio but also setting a precedent for renewable energy sources in Namibia. This initiative underscores our commitment to innovative solutions that address our unique challenges to our town and sets a foundation for future generations to build upon,” said Ntemwa in an interview with Confidente.

In January this year, Katima Mulilo, Ngoma and a part of Botswana to which NamPower is supplying electricity have been experiencing power cuts since the start of the New Year.

In a statement released at the time, NamPower’s area manager for the northern region, Petrus Immanuel stressed that the load shedding, a rare feat for the country, is a result of a faulty transformer at a substation at Katima Mulilo.

“What is happening is that we are giving each town three hours of power, including the cross-border client because they are also affected,” Immanuel told journalists.

However, Ntemwa, in his opinion, reiterated that such outages have in the past hindered business operations which often results in financial losses and reduced investor confidence, which he says the new solar-plant, will mitigate, and by so doing create jobs and livelihoods.

“The frequency of power outages has been a significant impediment to our town’s growth and well-being. The solar-plant’s introduction is a strategic move to enhance our electrical grid reliability, thus reducing economic and social disruptions caused by power interruptions. A stable supply means our water and sewerage systems will operate uninterrupted, businesses can thrive without fear of losses due to outages, and the town’s safety is improved with continuous street lighting thereby reducing crime,” the politician emphasized.

The town, he also stressed, has availed a 20-hectare plot for the first-phase of the project.

A resident of the town, Dibson Kwala, did not mince his words on the project, saying that despite a few delays, the benefits outweigh any concerns.

“We still have single [solar] roof-top panels owned by individuals but we are looking at a communal pool of energy source whereby NORED in the Zambezi region is only doing electrification of homes, towns and villages, but on clean energy, they have not shown any positives in terms of investments. Zambia has been giving us energy for many, many years since the existence of the Kariba Dam whereby we have a Dam built in 1958 which has been powering southern Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana including Namibia.

The report that we have now [indicates] that when we have a power blackout in Zambezi or Katima Mulilo is because we are connected to the Katima Mulilo-Zambia power line and not the national grid, but again, we were told that we were connected to the grid, why did they connect other towns but not our town?” Kwala sought to establish.

Meanwhile, his counterpart in Ongwediva, Taarah Shalyefu, echoed similar sentiments on the benefits of such a solar-plant for inhabitants.

“Well, it is true that the Ongwediva Town Council has passed a resolution to approve Delta Energy PTY LTD, a wholly owned Namibian company to establish a PV solar-plant in Ongwediva. It is actually an achievement and we are just looking forward to having the project up and running in the town. It is an affordable form of energy because the main source of it is the sun, it is even safe because environmental pollution can be reduced to some extent, it is also a clean and pure form of energy. We can also create jobs for youth, women and even [build] capacity because through the process people will learn how to do things and many people will benefit,” said Shalyefu.

The projects are envisaged to create 1350 jobs during its construction phases in all towns.

NORED, as a customer of the national power utility, NamPower, should seek consent in written form to have its IPPs supply energy from its solar plants to the national energy grid from its operators aside from an inspection by NamPower officials during and after the construction of the solar-plants to guard against any mishaps. It’s also interesting to note that Nored’s peak demand is during the day unlike in the central parts of Namibia where the peak is during the night. This means that Nored and its customers stand to be significant beneficiaries of these plants coming online.

The Electricity Control Board (ECB) also grants what is known as a Generation License which is approved by the minister of mines and energy Tom Alweendo before any firm can start producing any form of power in Namibia.

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