Bulk of Namibia’s power imported from Zambia, Haulofu says
NamPower CEO Simson Haulofu says Namibia is not reliant on South African bulk energy supplier Eskom for all its power needs and actually gets significantly more electricity from Zambia and Zimbabwe.
NamPower sources its electricity from Eskom, Zesco in Zambia and the Zimbabwe Power Company.
Haulofu made the comments in light of plans by the South African bulk electricity supplier to possibly implement stage nine load shedding in that country and whether this would have any bearing on NamPower’s ability to provide electricity to Namibia.
“We have got bilateral agreements with Eskom to supply us 100 megawatts (MW) and we have agreements in Zambia, 180MW. Of course in this country we are always talking [about] Eskom, [but] we are getting more power from Zambia, [and] another 80MW from Zimbabwe.
“We have never been approached by any of them that we will be cut,” Haulofu said.
Settled immediately
The CEO noted that when Eskom implements load shedding in South Africa, it also implements load shedding in Namibia to the extent that it has been implemented in that country.
“With Eskom, when they are implementing load shedding in South Africa, they also proportionally load shed Namibia,” he said.
According to Haulofu, planned power cuts to several local authorities and Nored were a means to avoid potential load shedding in Namibia. The company is owed approximately N$1.5 billion by local authorities and regional electricity distributors.
“There has been quite a lot of attempts from this company to make sure our bills are paid. I even personally have gone myself to individual customers to have serious meetings on this debt. And if we remember in 2021, almost the same advert was flouted in every newspaper and we all remember how the City of Windhoek - who owed us N$500 million - settled that debt immediately,” he said.
Haulofu further dispelled any suggestions that NamPower was cutting electricity to local authorities and regional electricity distributors because of threats from its supply partners, saying it was rather a means to recover what is owed to it.
“We are doing this on our own and we are collecting what is due to NamPower,” he said.
NamPower sources its electricity from Eskom, Zesco in Zambia and the Zimbabwe Power Company.
Haulofu made the comments in light of plans by the South African bulk electricity supplier to possibly implement stage nine load shedding in that country and whether this would have any bearing on NamPower’s ability to provide electricity to Namibia.
“We have got bilateral agreements with Eskom to supply us 100 megawatts (MW) and we have agreements in Zambia, 180MW. Of course in this country we are always talking [about] Eskom, [but] we are getting more power from Zambia, [and] another 80MW from Zimbabwe.
“We have never been approached by any of them that we will be cut,” Haulofu said.
Settled immediately
The CEO noted that when Eskom implements load shedding in South Africa, it also implements load shedding in Namibia to the extent that it has been implemented in that country.
“With Eskom, when they are implementing load shedding in South Africa, they also proportionally load shed Namibia,” he said.
According to Haulofu, planned power cuts to several local authorities and Nored were a means to avoid potential load shedding in Namibia. The company is owed approximately N$1.5 billion by local authorities and regional electricity distributors.
“There has been quite a lot of attempts from this company to make sure our bills are paid. I even personally have gone myself to individual customers to have serious meetings on this debt. And if we remember in 2021, almost the same advert was flouted in every newspaper and we all remember how the City of Windhoek - who owed us N$500 million - settled that debt immediately,” he said.
Haulofu further dispelled any suggestions that NamPower was cutting electricity to local authorities and regional electricity distributors because of threats from its supply partners, saying it was rather a means to recover what is owed to it.
“We are doing this on our own and we are collecting what is due to NamPower,” he said.
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