KEY POINTS
- NamPower has launched a billion-dollar program to expand and strengthen Namibia’s national power grid.
- The new Sekelduin Substation ranks as Africa’s first digital substation, built by African engineers.
- Rising mining and industrial demand in the Erongo region drove the new substation project.
NamPower is pouring billions into a plan to expand and toughen Namibia’s power grid.
The utility unveiled the program on Sunday in Swakopmund. The announcement came at the launch of the new Sekelduin Substation. The project signals a big bet on the country’s energy future.
Work on the substation ran from July 2021 to March 2023. Officials switched it on in June. The build cost N$394 million. The substation stands in the fast-growing Erongo region.
Managing director Simson Haulofu said the substation strengthens the national transmission system. He said it answers a clear and growing need.
“To ensure the continued excellence of the national transmission network, NamPower remains committed to strengthening and maintaining its infrastructure,” Haulofu said.
Demand in the Erongo region has surged. Mining, factories and a rising population all draw more power. The coast has turned into one of Namibia’s busiest economic zones.
Built and designed in Africa
Haulofu said Sekelduin is the first digital substation on the continent. African engineers drew up the plans and built it, he said.
“Sekelduin Substation is proof that Africa can design and deliver world-class digital grid infrastructure,” he said.
The site will feed power to several key points. It supplies the Swakopmund and Tamariskia substations. It also backs the NamWater South scheme that serves Husab Mine. The Erongo Regional Electricity Distributor network taps it as well. Together, the connections keep regional supply steady.
Haulofu said the substation forms one piece of a wider Transmission Master Plan. That plan reaches across the country.
More projects on the way
Several major builds sit in the pipeline. They include the 400kV Auas-Kokerboom line and the 400kV Obib-Oranjemund interconnector. Crews are also developing the Khomas and Erongo substations. The Masivi Substation is already done.
Haulofu said the projects will boost reliability, stability and power transfer capacity. Namibia’s grid now stretches about 12,060 kilometers of high and medium-voltage lines.
Deputy minister of industries, mines and energy Gaudentia Kröhne praised the milestone. She said it shows the government’s drive for energy security and growth.
Kröhne said the work supports the sixth National Development Plan and the National Energy Policy. It lifts reliability in Erongo and adds supply capacity. Households, businesses, mines and tourism operators all gain. The upgrades should also trim the risk of blackouts. She tied the project to the country’s wider growth goals.
NamPower cast the rollout as a long-term play for Namibian industry. Reliable power, it said, keeps jobs and investment flowing. The utility plans to keep building out the grid for years.
