Online Reporter
WINDHOEK. —– 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 yesterday.
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 neighbouring 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.” — Xinhua
