SADC to invest N$45 billion in electricity ‘to meet needs’

THE Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) has embarked on a N$45 billion effort boost the region’s electricity generation by an additional 6 700 Megawatt to meet the increasing need for power.

The Chairman of the SAPP Management Committee, Nathaniel Maphate, announced this at yesterday’s opening of the 29th SAPP Management Committee Meeting being held at Swakopmund this week. The meeting serves as a forum where SAPP member utilities exchange ideas on power planning, system operation and environmental issues effecting the electricity supply industry in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).This year’s meeting, attended by about 120 delegates, is focusing specifically on the imminent shortage of power the region is facing, and strategies to address the challenge.Maphate said electricity consumption in SADC is growing at 4,2 per cent a year, which is putting enormous strain on the current supply infrastructure.He added that a massive surge in consumption is anticipated in 2010 during the World Cup Soccer event to be hosted in South Africa.He said the new investment would be a short-term project and a collective effort of all the power utilities in the region to meet the electricity demand by 2010.As part of the effort, NamPower has already teamed up with other utilities in the investment and rehabilitation of the Hwange Power Station in Zimbabwe.According to NamPower’s Managing Director, Paulinus Shilamba, the first phase of this project should be completed by December this year.Namibia will get an additional 40 Megawatt of electricity from Hwange.The remaining three phases will be completed in stages until August next year.In the meantime, the Namibian power utility has embarked on an energy-saving campaign in which it is to distribute 900 000 compact fluorescent lights to Namibians, which will save about 20 Megawatts of electricity.”We believe that these arrangements will, in the interim, augment our power supply as well as spur us to implement our medium- to long-term projects,” Shilamba said.He said besides the diminishing generation capacity the region is facing, there are also limits on the transfer of electricity in the region.He said to address this issue, NamPower had decided to establish the 970-kilometre Caprivi Link between Gerus (near Otjiwarongo) and Zambezi (near Katima Mulilo).Not only will this link connect the Caprivi Region to the national grid, but it will also serve as a conduit of power from the northern parts of SADC to the south via Namibia.The meeting serves as a forum where SAPP member utilities exchange ideas on power planning, system operation and environmental issues effecting the electricity supply industry in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).This year’s meeting, attended by about 120 delegates, is focusing specifically on the imminent shortage of power the region is facing, and strategies to address the challenge.Maphate said electricity consumption in SADC is growing at 4,2 per cent a year, which is putting enormous strain on the current supply infrastructure.He added that a massive surge in consumption is anticipated in 2010 during the World Cup Soccer event to be hosted in South Africa.He said the new investment would be a short-term project and a collective effort of all the power utilities in the region to meet the electricity demand by 2010.As part of the effort, NamPower has already teamed up with other utilities in the investment and rehabilitation of the Hwange Power Station in Zimbabwe.According to NamPower’s Managing Director, Paulinus Shilamba, the first phase of this project should be completed by December this year.Namibia will get an additional 40 Megawatt of electricity from Hwange.The remaining three phases will be completed in stages until August next year.In the meantime, the Namibian power utility has embarked on an energy-saving campaign in which it is to distribute 900 000 compact fluorescent lights to Namibians, which will save about 20 Megawatts of electricity.”We believe that these arrangements will, in the interim, augment our power supply as well as spur us to implement our medium- to long-term projects,” Shilamba said.He said besides the diminishing generation capacity the region is facing, there are also limits on the transfer of electricity in the region.He said to address this issue, NamPower had decided to establish the 970-kilometre Caprivi Link between Gerus (near Otjiwarongo) and Zambezi (near Katima Mulilo).Not only will this link connect the Caprivi Region to the national grid, but it will also serve as a conduit of power from the northern parts of SADC to the south via Namibia.