WINDHOEK, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Namibia must take bold, nationally coordinated steps toward building its own power generation infrastructure to reduce its long-standing dependence on electricity imports and ease rising energy costs, NamPower Managing Director Kahenge Haulofu said on Tuesday.
Speaking during a joint consultative meeting at the Namibian Parliament, Haulofu warned that unless the country commits to building a domestic base-load power plant, tariffs will remain high and the national energy supply will continue to depend on imports from neighboring countries.
"Tariffs are high, but there are reasons behind it, and unless we take meaningful action, they will likely rise," Haulofu said. "Namibia has not developed a baseload power plant since time immemorial. If we don't act now, we will remain dependent on others."
Haulofu emphasized that current investments in transmission infrastructure and renewable energy, many of them financed by international loans, are valuable but insufficient in ensuring long-term energy stability.
He argued that relying on external financing from institutions, such as the World Bank and the German state-owned KfW Development Bank, is not sustainable without a broader national commitment.
"We cannot depend on NamPower securing small loans alone. The nation must come together to fund and build a national power plant. The money we get is largely used to buy electricity and pay for transmission. Without domestic generation, this cycle will continue," he said.
Namibia imports between 60 and 70 percent of its electricity from neighboring countries, including South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Despite strides in expanding solar and wind power generation, much of its supply remains intermittent and insufficient to meet the rising demand.
Although projects such as the Omburu Solar PV Plant and the Baynes Hydro Power Project are underway, the absence of a large-scale, stable baseload power station has left Namibia vulnerable to regional supply shocks and tariff volatility.
Haulofu also raised concerns about the unregulated expansion of solar projects nationwide, cautioning that indiscriminate solar installation could strain the national grid, which has a limited capacity to absorb intermittent power.
"Everyone wants to install solar everywhere, but our grid has limitations. Solar energy must be integrated responsibly, knowing that it is intermittent and requires proper management," he added. ■
