"The demand is growing fast," the power utility's Managing Director, Dr Leake Hangala, said yesterday.

In fact, he indicated, the power resources of southern African, which have remained relatively static over the past decade, will be tested as the region strives to meet development needs and burgeoning industrial demands.

In Namibia, companies such as the newly commissioned Skorpion zinc mine and refinery and the Ramatex Textile Factory are demanding higher voltage.

For example, the NamPower MD said, Ramatex runs at 30 megawatts - more than is needed to run the entire Walvis Bay.

Hangala was speaking at the signing of an agreement between NamPower and Nored (the Northern Region Electricity Distributor) in Windhoek yesterday.

He said NamPower was negotiating with South Africa for supplementary power to meet the ever-increasing local demand for power.

But, he added, South Africa was also battling to cope with demand for electricity at home.

Hangala noted that in the last 10 years no big power plant had been built in southern Africa, except one in Angola which was destroyed during the civil war.

"So, we face a situation where SADC will not have much power available.

It is a very worrying situation.

And the Kunene (river) is also drying up," the NamPower MD said.

He said parties involved in the Kudu Gas Project were hard at work to try and make the project feasible.

"But, it will be premature to get into details at this stage.

It is not an easy project.

And it is very remote.

But we remain optimistic," Hangala said.

The NamPower MD was, however, optimistic that the proposed Inga Hydropower Scheme in the Democratic Republic of Congo would go a long way towards solving the continent's power problems.

Western Corridor Project (Westcor), which will be based in Botswana, will develop the Inga project, estimated to cost around US$5 billion.

Regional power utilities, such as NamPower, will also be involved in the project which is expected to be operational by 2010.

Westcor is a joint-venture between the power utilities of Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Angola and the DRC.

Yesterday's agreement will see the transfer of electricity distribution assets from NamPower to Nored.

Government has directed that the five Regional Electricity Distribution Supply companies should be asset-based.

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