THE planned solar plant at Arandis will to save Erongo RED N$127 million over its 25-year lifespan.
The plant will be constructed by OLC Arandis Solar Energy, a joint venture between O&L Energy, a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List Group and Cronimet Mining Power Solutions GmbH. Women of Destiny Trust is also a partner in Arandis Solar Energy. The plant will have a capacity of 3MW.
“This plant is expected to save Erongo RED an estimated N$127 million over the 25 years lifespan and I must say that this is a significant saving for Erongo RED,” said Tobias Nambala, chairperson of the ErongoRED board during the ground-breaking ceremony last week.
He said the plant forms part of proactive efforts by Erongo RED to address continuous electricity cost increases and cushioning the impact on its customers.
“I am very pleased that we have reached this point where OLC Arandis Solar Energy will start with the construction of the solar plant.” The plant is expected to be completed in June next year.
Erongo governor, Cleophas Mutjavikua said the power plant is a big step in the right direction. “I look forward to even brighter days and a future embraced with even more innovations,” he said.
O&L group executive chairman, Sven Thieme, highlighted some of the renewable projects planned by O&L in its quest to adopt and adjust to renewable energy. The plans include the recent initiative of O&L Energy’s subsidiary, Organic Energy Solutions. The company harvests invader bush to produce wood chips which in turn create heat energy for clients such as Namibia Breweries Limited and Ohorongo Cement.
He also spoke about Namibia Breweries’ investment of N$53 million into a biomass boiler to reduce reliance on Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO).
Thieme said other renewable energy projects include the Mariental Bio Energy. “We are relentless in our pursuit of creating a sustainable future for all and therefore passionately embrace this wonderful opportunity which also positively contributes to our vision metric of reducing our carbon footprint by 20% by 2019.”
Arandis mayor Risto Kapendah said the Arandis solar power plant is testimony to the potential of the town, and promise of a bright future for the Arandis community.
O&L Energy and Cronimet Mining Power Solutions entered into a joint venture in 2015 to develop, own and operate renewable energy independent power producers across Namibia.
Cronnimet is active throughout Africa, targeting 21 countries to develop power plants.
The company operates subsidiaries in Namibia, South Africa and Botswana and has offices in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The Arandis power plant will produce over 9 000 MW hours of electricity for Erongo RED per year. It will be connected to Erongo RED’s transmission station and will supply the coastal region with 25 years of electricity generated from the sun.
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