Significant progress in 2010: NamPower

WINDHOEK – The Managing Director of NamPower, Paulinus Shilamba yesterday said NamPower regards 2010 as a year of significant progress in terms of power supply in the country.

Shilamba said this during a media briefing on the progress the company’s projects for 2010 and plans for 2011 held on Wednesday at NamPower’s head office in the capital.’The year 2010 will go down in the annals of regional and local electricity supply industry as a year of significant progress,’ Shilamba said.Amongst the most important highlights is the successful hosting of and powering of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) World Cup in South Africa in June this year, to which NamPower has made a contribution.He added that another highlight for 2010 is the sustainable supply of electricity to the company’s customers, despite the power supply deficit in the region and the continuous implementation of new power supply projects.’This year alone, the company managed to conclude and commission three large scale power supply projects namely the Hwange rehabilitation project, the Caprivi Link Interconnector and Phase One of the West Coast Development Programme,’ he boasted.The total cost of the three projects completed by the power supply company in 2010 is N$ 4.2 million.’This is a historical record we in NamPower are proud about,’ Shilamba noted.He further said it should be re-emphasised that NamPower takes its mandate to supply reliable electricity to Namibia in a very serious light, and is absolutely determined to fulfil this mandate religiously.’The challenges such as the imminent shortage of electricity in the region, below cost reflective tariffs, limited financial and human resources, and limited investment in power generation infrastructure are not new to NamPower, and we are confident that these challenges will once more be overcome through new opportunities presenting themselves,’ said Shilamba. – NampaNamPower posts healthy figures for 2010The Namibia Power Corporation (NamPower) has recorded an increase in the sale of electricity, up from N$ 1.4 billion last year to N$ 1.7 billion in 2010.The national power utility, however, only recorded a net profit of N$ 264 million after tax in the 2009/2010 financial year, compared to N$ 527 million the previous year, while cash generated from operations also decreased from N$ 592 million in 2009 to N$ 494 million this year. – Nampa