NovaNam invests N$36 million in solar energy

FISHING company NovaNam Ltd has invested N$36 million in photovoltaic solar plants in the Erongo and //Kharas regions.

NovaNam Ltd is part of the Pescanova group of companies specialising in the harvesting and processing of hake and orange roughy.

They operate wet fish and freezer vessels to feed their value-addition factories.

The solar plants have been installed at the company’s hake value-addition processing plants at Lüderitz and Walvis Bay.

About 100 tonnes of raw material is processed on a daily basis at the value-addition processing plants by a combined staff complement of 2 300 people.

The availability of electricity plays a key role in powering investment, industrialisation, employment creation, and socio-economic development.

Namibia is moving towards developing more renewable electricity sources and green hydrogen, as it provides the country with opportunities to attract meaningful foreign direct investment, diversify its exports, and improve its terms of trade.

NovaNam’s managing director, Edwin Kamatoto, says by following through on the establishment of photovoltaic solar plants, the company has committed itself to using renewable energy.

“Against the backdrop of Namibia being poised to becoming a global player in renewable energy and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7, our company has committed itself to the use of renewable energy,” Kamatoto says.

Located at Walvis Bay and Lüderitz with the Atlantic Ocean and port infrastructure, the investment augurs well for the development of a green and blue economy, as well as the green hydrogen economy.

Namibia has the potential to capture about 10 hours of strong sunlight per day, 300 days a year, and therefore has some of the strongest irradiance potential sufficient to provide power for itself and neighbouring countries.

Yet Namibia still imports most of its power from neighbouring countries.

The Electricity Control Board’s annual report for 2020/21 states that NamPower imported 60% of the total energy requirement of the country from South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Some 8% of the local energy requirement was met by independent power producers, and 7% by supply from the Southern African Power Pool’s day-ahead market-trading platform.

In an effort to reduce dependence on imports and to increase the share of local generation, NamPower has concluded 21 power purchase agreements, of which 18 plants are operational.

Three more independent power producers with an installed capacity of 58,94MW were expected to commission their plants in 2021.

“Furthermore, to ensure sustainable and resilient security of supply, the ECB issued a total of four new generation licences, amended six generation licences, renewed 42 distribution licences, while four licences were under review during the reporting period,” the report stated.

The solar plants will generate 317 000 kilowatts per month, and decrease the company’s annual CO2 emissions by 3 932 tonnes, with an outcome of 2 393 barrels of oil being reduced every year.

“Sustainability is not a part of our strategy, it is our strategy. This initiative will help contribute to free up other energy sources to meet much-needed developmental and infrastructural goals, especially at Lüderitz and in the Kharas region,” the managing director says.

Access to electricity plays a crucial role in addressing issues such as intergenerational poverty, inequality, and improving the nation’s competitiveness in an increasingly globalised world.

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