Staff Reporter
NAMPOWER is targeting 80% electricity self-sufficiency and a 70% renewable energy share in Namibia’s energy mix by 2030 under its new five-year Integrated Strategic Business Plan (ISBP), as the utility seeks to strengthen domestic generation, expand the national grid and support industrialisation.
The ISBP 2026–2030 was launched in Windhoek as NamPower marked 30 years since its establishment, with the strategy setting out priorities for generation, transmission, regional power trading, financial sustainability, customer service and workforce development.
NamPower Managing Director Kahenge Haulofu said the strategy builds on three decades of investment in generation and transmission infrastructure while responding to Namibia’s growing electricity demand and the changing regional energy market.
NamPower currently operates a state-owned generation fleet with a capacity of 563.5 MW and a transmission network of more than 13,000 kilometres, supported by a national distribution network of almost 12,000 kilometres.
Haulofu said the company had maintained an average system reliability of more than 99% and had invested more than N$21.8 billion in infrastructure over the past 30 years.
The utility’s generation capacity has grown from 394.6 MW in 1996 to 563.5 MW in 2026, while renewable energy has become an increasingly important component of the supply mix.
NamPower commissioned the 20 MW Omburu Solar PV Power Station in 2022 and the 54 MW Anixas II Power Station in 2024. It has also facilitated private-sector generation through Independent Power Producers, including the 20 MW Khan PV Power Plant and other renewable energy projects.
Under the new plan, several generation projects are in the pipeline.
In the short term, these include the 51 MW Omburu Battery Energy Storage System, the 44 MW Diaz Wind project and the 100 MW Rosh Pinah Solar PV project.
Medium-term projects include a 40 MW biomass project, a 50 MW CERIM wind project, a 120 MW solar PV project, a 45 MW Lithops Battery Energy Storage System and an additional 80 MW Omburu Solar PV project.
Longer-term plans include a 300 MW Mega Wind project, a 475 MW gas-to-power project and the 440 MW Baynes Hydropower Project, for which Namibia is expected to have an off-take allocation.
NamPower is also exploring Small Modular Reactor nuclear technology as a potential future baseload energy source.
The strategy places significant emphasis on transmission infrastructure to support increased domestic generation, regional electricity trading and industrial expansion.
Projects include the 400 kV Auas-Kokerboom transmission line, the 400 kV Obib-Oranjemond interconnector with South Africa, the 220 kV Otjikoto-Masivi line and the Angola-Namibia (ANNA) transmission interconnector.
The ANNA project includes a 400 kV transmission line between Namibia and Angola, together with infrastructure linking Otjikoto and Omatando.
Deputy Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy Gaudentia Kröhne said NamPower’s strategy had a national purpose because reliable and affordable electricity was central to industrialisation, business growth and improved access to basic services.
She said Namibia needed to reduce its dependence on imported electricity while making greater use of its domestic solar, wind and other energy resources.
“We ask NamPower to help reduce that dependence over time while holding down the cost to customers,” Kröhne said.
She said the electricity sector would also have to support mineral beneficiation and other industrial activities, noting that each stage of value addition required reliable electricity at a competitive price.
Kröhne also highlighted the potential growth of electric mobility and the need for charging infrastructure as Namibia gradually shifts towards greater use of electric vehicles.
She said NamPower should work with electricity distributors and local authorities to accelerate electrification, including considering smaller local systems and solar solutions where extending the national grid may not be the fastest or most affordable option.
NamPower Board Deputy Chairperson Paulina Elago said the new ISBP was developed through consultations with Government, the regulator and other electricity-sector stakeholders.
She said the strategy is aligned with Vision 2030, the Sixth National Development Plan, the National Energy Policy, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Public Enterprises Governance Act.
The strategy is built around four pillars: financial sustainability, customer focus, security of supply and capacity, and talent.
Elago said the plan aims to grow revenue, unlock capital for strategic electricity projects, improve customer experience, expand generation and transmission capacity, optimise the electricity trading mix and invest in talent and leadership development.
NamPower’s previous five-year cycle also recorded improvements in infrastructure and financial performance.
The utility added 94 MW of generation capacity, including 20 MW from Independent Power Producers, while constructing 442 kilometres of new transmission lines and 4,288 MVA of additional substation capacity.
Local procurement increased from 10% in 2020 to 63% in 2025, while N$116 million was invested in rural electrification and 43 MW of capacity was unlocked through the Modified Single Buyer framework.
Financial indicators also improved, with EBITDA increasing from 13% of turnover in 2021 to 19% in 2025, while return on net assets rose from 0.70% to 4.60%.
Haulofu said NamPower nevertheless continued to face challenges, including reliance on imported electricity, which averages about 50% annually and can reach 70% during dry seasons.
Other challenges include affordability of cost-reflective tariffs, the retirement of experienced employees and the non-payment or poor payment of debts by some customers.
He said NamPower would continue using regional power trading arrangements through the Southern African Power Pool and bilateral agreements to supplement domestic supply until additional baseload generation is available.
Haulofu said the utility’s 30-year development had transformed it from a conventional power utility into a modern energy company with an expanding generation portfolio, a larger transmission network and increasing participation in regional electricity markets.
NamPower was established on 1 July 1996 after taking over from the former South-West Africa Water and Electricity Corporation (SWAWEK).
Its workforce has grown from 781 employees in 1996, including 51 women, to 1,129 employees, of whom 295 are women.
Haulofu said NamPower’s future focus would remain on security of supply while supporting the Government’s national development and energy objectives.
Photos: NamPower
