ECB hits back at Hoogenhout

THE electricity regulating authority has rejected claims made by a retired top official of the power utility NamPower that it was not doing its work according to Government policies and objectives.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Electricity Control Board (ECB), Dr Siseho Simasiku, said the regulator was accused by Imker Hoogenhout of not supporting a wind park NamPower wanted to set up a few years ago and for being against the construction of a vital power line which was completed in 1999. “This is not true.Let us not be emotional about change.Cabinet decided nearly a decade ago that the electricity sector in Namibia had to be transformed, a regulatory body, the ECB to be established and the distribution of electricity to be done by regional electricity distributors (REDs) in order to create competition,” Simasiku said at a special media briefing yesterday.”Cabinet also resolved that electricity tariffs and prices had to become more transparent and cost reflective by 2001-2012.”Until some years ago, NamPower was alone as electricity generator and supplier.When Hoogenhout was there, they made their decisions alone, without consulting with the line ministry,” Simasiku stated.”It was difficult then to convince the NamPower leadership, including Hoogenhout, to become a member of the SADC Power Pool, because they thought the electricity coming from Eskom in South Africa would be enough.This proved to be wrong, a regional power crunch is looming.”Hoogenhout, Chief Technical Director at NamPower, retired in 2003 and now lives in South Africa.He sent an opinion piece to the media earlier this week, with critical comments on the ECB, NamPower and the line ministry, the Ministry of Mines and Energy.The piece is published in today’s edition of The Namibian.”People who are retired should stay in retirement, keep quiet and enjoy their last days on Earth,” Simasiku recommended to Hoogenhout.The legal advisor to the ECB, Jackie Scholtz, stated that the transformation of electricity sectors was a worldwide trend and Namibia cold not resist that, otherwise it would operate in isolation.”No investor in the electricity sector will invest in a power project if (political) parties with agendas are dictating the prices.The ECB is independent and is the only body to determine them,” Scholtz said.Simasiku told reporters yesterday that the ECB was against an experimental wind park as proposed by NamPower years back, finding it unnecessary since wind power was an accepted source of energy.”They wanted a 3 megawatt park, we told them to start at least with 10 MW.”In his opinion piece, Hoogenhout said a performance audit should be done of the ECB to see if it had achieved the objectives of Government and the Electricity Act of 2000.Simasiku vehemently denied that the ECB might not do its work according to the set objectives.”We work closely with Government and NamPower, our three entities are a team, how would we not do our work according to Government policies and legislation?” Simasiku stated.”This is not true.Let us not be emotional about change.Cabinet decided nearly a decade ago that the electricity sector in Namibia had to be transformed, a regulatory body, the ECB to be established and the distribution of electricity to be done by regional electricity distributors (REDs) in order to create competition,” Simasiku said at a special media briefing yesterday.”Cabinet also resolved that electricity tariffs and prices had to become more transparent and cost reflective by 2001-2012.”Until some years ago, NamPower was alone as electricity generator and supplier.When Hoogenhout was there, they made their decisions alone, without consulting with the line ministry,” Simasiku stated.”It was difficult then to convince the NamPower leadership, including Hoogenhout, to become a member of the SADC Power Pool, because they thought the electricity coming from Eskom in South Africa would be enough.This proved to be wrong, a regional power crunch is looming.”Hoogenhout, Chief Technical Director at NamPower, retired in 2003 and now lives in South Africa.He sent an opinion piece to the media earlier this week, with critical comments on the ECB, NamPower and the line ministry, the Ministry of Mines and Energy.The piece is published in today’s edition of The Namibian.”People who are retired should stay in retirement, keep quiet and enjoy their last days on Earth,” Simasiku recommended to Hoogenhout.The legal advisor to the ECB, Jackie Scholtz, stated that the transformation of electricity sectors was a worldwide trend and Namibia cold not resist that, otherwise it would operate in isolation.”No investor in the electricity sector will invest in a power project if (political) parties with agendas are dictating the prices.The ECB is independent and is the only body to determine them,” Scholtz said.Simasiku told reporters yesterday that the ECB was against an experimental wind park as proposed by NamPower years back, finding it unnecessary since wind power was an accepted source of energy.”They wanted a 3 megawatt park, we told them to start at least with 10 MW.”In his opinion piece, Hoogenhout said a performance audit should be done of the ECB to see if it had achieved the objectives of Government and the Electricity Act of 2000.Simasiku vehemently denied that the ECB might not do its work according to the set objectives.”We work closely with Government and NamPower, our three entities are a team, how would we not do our work according to Government policies and legislation?” Simasiku stated.