Namibia has increased its power generation capacity with an additional 92 MW thanks to the fourth turbine coming online at the Ruacana Power Station on May 31.
This addition is extremely important as it could indicate further progression for the proposed Baynes hydropower project. The hydrodam had been opposed by communities, but the latest electricity production will highlight the necessity of similar projects. The country’s main sources of electricity come from the Ruacana Hydroelectric Power Station (240 MW), the Van Eck Coal Power Plant (120 MW), and the Paratus Diesel Power Station (18.5 MW).
The Baynes project is said to have the potential to generate 480 MW of electricity along the Epupa Falls area. President Hifikepunye Pohamba said to urge the project, “It would be an absolute waste of millions of cubic meters of water, which continue to flow into the Atlantic Ocean, by not harnessing the previous resource for generating power this country so desperately needs.”
The government is also keen on upping other sources of renewable energy, namely solar power. In April, Namibia signed an agreement with Invest Africa Energy Services that will establish a 250-MW solar power plant expected to be operational by 2013. The President said, “Investing in solar energy for households will go a long way in improving the living conditions of our people.”
Alternative Energy