How many independent power projects does Namibia have?

Namibia moved from having no operating IPPs in 2015 to having 20 at the end of 2018 – making it the sub-Saharan African country with the fourth-most independent power projects, surpassed only by South Africa, Uganda and Kenya (Eberhard et al., 2019), and fundamentally changing the character of the Namibian power market.

What energy system does Namibia have?

Namibia currently has a small energy system that is dominated by its 347 megawatts (MW) Ruacana hydropower plant. The country is also considering an additional hydro-power plant, the Baynes Hydro-power Project on the Kunene River.

Will Namibia increase energy supply?

Namibia is at a crucial point in its energy system development and must make difficult decisions over the coming years to increase energy supply as demand could double in the next 20 years, while also managing costs and negative impacts.

Does Namibia have a hydro-power plant in the Baynes Mountains?

Chairperson of Earth Life Namibia, Bertchen Kohrs said Earthlife Namibia critically observed the planned hydro-power plant at Epupa in the 1990s. “A similar plant in the Baynes Mountains raises the same environmental and social concerns and Namibia is blessed with renewable energy resources like solar and wind.

Does Namibia need a hydro-power plant?

The country is also considering an additional hydro-power plant, the Baynes Hydro-power Project on the Kunene River. The Kunene River basin is heavily climate-exposed and extreme drought periods have already created energy shortfalls for Namibia because of its overreliance on the Ruacana hydro-power plant.

Is Namibia on a new path to energy transition?

Namibia is also embarking on a major green hydrogen investment drive, and several developers are interested in establishing large generation plants to sell into the regional power pool. Cumulatively, these developments seem to be setting Namibia on a new path that will likely accelerate the country's energy transition. 5. Discussion