WSHPDR_2013_Final_Report-updated_version

1.4.2 Namibia
Kai Whiting and Lara Esser, International Center on
Small Hydro Power
Key facts
Population 2,165,828 1
Area 824,292 km 2
Climate
Topography
Rain
Pattern
Hot and dry desert climate with sparse
and erratic rainfall 1
Mostly high plateau; Namib Desert
along coast; Kalahari Desert in east.
Namibia is the driest country of sub-
Saharan Africa. Rainfall is particularly
scarce and unpredictable, aggravated
by an extremely high rate of
evaporation 2
Electricity sector overview
Namibia is a part of the Southern African Power Pool
(SAPP), it contributes roughly one per cent to the total
peak demand of SAPP. 3 In the past, Namibia imported
more than 60 per cent of its electricity requirements
from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia (figure 1).
The vast majority of electricity in Namibia has always
been produced by hydropower and since 2001 there
has been a small, stable share of coal and oil. 3
Namibia is also the world's fourth largest producer of
uranium. 1
The total installed electricity generation capacity in
Namibia is 393 MW. With the recent expansion in
June 2012, Namibia´s largest hydro plant is pushed up
to 330 MW. The Government states that even with
other sources in the country, the total generation still
falls short of Namibia's 550 MW demand. 4
Thermal 2%
Hydropower
38%
Imported electricity
60%
connect a large number of rural settlements to
Namibia’s main distribution grid over the next 20
years, but it is not economically feasible or technically
possible to electrify all off-grid settlements.
Approximately 1,543 rural communities will be
electrified over the next 20 years by the REDMP as
outlined by the Ministry of Mines and Energy. It is
expected that 4,315 communities will remain unelectrified.
For those settlements, there is the Off-grid
Electricity Management Plan, which, however, does
not include a hydropower option. 7
The largest hydropower station, Ruacana, increased
its capacity to 330 MW in 2012. 4 The downstream
area of Ruacana has as much as 2,000 MW of
hydropower potential according to the Ministry of
Mines and Energy. 8 The country is considering a 500-
MW hydropower project that would be located at
Epupa Falls. 8
The country has a Hydropower Masterplan (2008),
with a study performed on all perennial rivers, none of
which arise from within its borders. The aim of the
study was to identify and estimate the cost and
production of all potential sites in the lower Kunene,
Kavango and lower Orange Rivers. 7 None of the
identified sites have a capacity of less than 10 MW,
thus none falls into the generally accepted small
hydropower definition.
Small hydropower sector and overview and potential
Currently no official small hydropower definition
exists in Namibia. It has only an installed capacity of
0.5 MW small hydropower, with a potential of 108
MW (figure 2). 9 The IRENA country profile says that 26
MW of its small hydropower capacity additions have
been announced (three projects), however no further
information was mentioned. 10 The National
Investment Brief (2008) mentions that there are
hundreds of small farm dams scattered around the
ephemeral river basins, where small hydropower
potential could be developed. 11
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Figure 1 Electricity generation in Namibia
Source: Graduate School of Cape Town 5
SHP installed capacity
0.5 MW
Some 62 per cent of the Namibian population lives in
rural areas. Dispersion over large parts of the country
often makes grid extension unviable. The national
electricity access level is 34 per cent. 6 All of Namibia’s
17 municipalities and 19 towns are currently served
by grid electricity. While urban access levels to
electricity are at 75 per cent, rural access is much
lower at 12 per cent. 3
The Government supports two energy initiatives that
help speed up the electrification process. A Regional
Energy Distribution Master Plan (REDMP) that will
100
SHP potential
108 MW
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Figure 2 Small hydropower capacities in Namibia
Source: The International Journal on Hydropower and
Dams 9
Renewable energy policy
The Namibian constitution, Article 95 (l) is explicit in
the legality of the “Maintenance of ecosystems,
essential ecological processes and biological diversity
of Namibia and utilization of living natural resources
on a sustainable basis for the benefit of all Namibians,