The municipality of Windhoek in Namibia has just announced that a solar project will be implemented to meet the electricity needs of its population. The project consists of five solar photovoltaic power plants that will have a combined capacity of 25 MWp. The plants will be built on the southern borders of Cimbebasia, along the B1 road to Rehoboth.
According to the municipality of Windhoek, the solar power plants will be built over the next three years under public-private partnerships (PPPs). The implementation of the project could cost N$420 million (about US$25.5 million). This corresponds to N$85 million per solar power plant (over US$5.15 million). Thus, each photovoltaic solar power plant will have a capacity of 5 MWp.
Despite the long-term nature of the project, a disagreement remains between the Windhoek municipality and the Namibian procurement unit regarding the size of the solar PV plants. According to our colleagues in The Namibian, the procurement unit wants the municipality to develop one large solar power plant of 25 MWp instead of five small plants of 5 MWp each. For its part, the municipality of Windhoek fears for the land disputes that would result from the installation of a large solar power plant of 25 MWp. These disputes could hinder the development of the project.
Inès Magoum