US funds study on Van Eck’s future

ELECTRICITY demand in Namibia is growing by between three and five per cent every year and to sustain the economy, NamPower is not only considering rehabilitating the 120-megawatt Van Eck coal-fired power station outside Windhoek, but also considering building another coal power station of between 200 and 400 megawatt at Walvis Bay.

NamPower yesterday signed a grant agreement of US$400 000, nearly N$3 million, with the United States for a feasibility study that will determine the future of Van Eck.'[It] will evaluate the technical, financial, environmental and other critical aspects of the Van Eck Power Station and come out with clear recommendations on the future of this facility, covering various options including, but not limited to, decommissioning, rehabilitation, upgrading and/or fuel substitution,’ NamPower Managing Director Paulinus Shilamba said.Van Eck represents 31 per cent of Namibia’s installed generation capacity. ‘[It] has been playing an important role in the power supply equation in Namibia, and will continue to do so in future,’ he said.The aging plant, which will be 40 years old in 2012, is running below capacity, is expensive to operate and is not environmentally friendly. It was built as an ’emergency standby’, meant to run for short periods only.’However, due to the critical power supply shortages experienced in the region and the country since 2006, NamPower has been operating this power station for longer periods and sometimes on a continuous basis,’ Shilamba said.He said the ‘obsolete technology’ at Van Eck had resulted in complaints from the public and the business community near the station about the smoke it emits. Although confident that the current emission levels meet World Health Organisation standards, the issue will still be part of the feasibility study, Shilamba said.’Hopefully, a plan for rehabilitation will lead to the use of modern, clean energy technologies that will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other harmful pollutants, while ensuring that Namibia has the electricity resources it needs for sustained economic growth,’ said US Ambassador Gail Dennise Mathieu, who signed the agreement on behalf of the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).’Coal will continue to be a reliable fuel for power generation in southern Africa, including Namibia, for many years to come,’ Shilamba said.He said Namibia ‘does not even register on the radar’ when it comes to total emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. Shilamba also stressed that coal is only part of NamPower’s energy mix. The utility will also develop gas, hydro and renewable resources, such as wind, solar, biomass and invader bush energy.