Namibia is moving into large-scale electricity storage. State-owned Namibia Power Corporation (NamPower) recently signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a 54 MW/54 MWh storage system with Chinese companies Shandong Electrical, Engineering & Equipment Group and Zhejiang Narada Power Source. The batteries will be installed at the Omburu substation, 12 km south-east of Omaruru, in the Erongo region.
This locality is home to several renewable energy plants. Just over a year ago, NamPower inaugurated a 20 MWp solar photovoltaic plant here. According to the state-owned company, the storage system will help stabilise its grid, while limiting the impact of intermittent solar power generation. The work will take 18 months. The installation should be operational by mid-2025.
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The project is supported by the German Development Agency (KfW) through a €20 million grant. “NamPower will commit around 100 million Namibian dollars (just under 5 million euros) for the construction of the transmission interconnection, technical consultancy, project management and the owner’s engineer”, says the state-owned company.
In its view, this battery storage system will be a game-changer, transforming Namibia’s energy landscape. “It will change the way NamPower generates, distributes and consumes electricity,” reinforcing the company’s vision of “moving towards a more resilient and sustainable future”.
Jean Marie Takouleu