Alpha Namibia Industries Renewable Power (ANIREP) is awarded a new contract in Namibia. This is because the independent power producer (IPP) has been appointed as the preferred bidder for the construction and operation of a solar PV plant in the ǁKaras region. The project site is located in Kokerboom, a locality in the municipality of Keetmanshoop.
The Kokerboom solar plant will have a capacity of 18.5 MWp. “Subject to the successful negotiation of a power purchase agreement (PPA), the project has been awarded through a tender process. We plan to feed the electricity produced into the national grid through a modified single-buyer model,” explains Iyaloo Nangolo, managing director of ANIREP.
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IPP will invest no less than N$300 million (over US$19 million) in the construction of the Kokerboom solar power plant. This project will be implemented in the ǁKaras region, which already concentrates several renewable energy plants, under construction or operation. This is the case with the Ejuva (2) solar power plants with a combined capacity of 10 MWp.
Overall, the construction of the Kokerboom solar power plant is in line with the Namibian authorities’ energy policy to reduce the Central African country’s dependence on neighbouring countries. Namibia has an installed capacity of 680 MW, of which 517 MW is generated from renewable sources, according to Power Africa. But 68% of the electricity consumed in the country is imported from South Africa, under a contract with the public company Eskom. This electricity is fed into the Namibian grid through the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).
Jean Marie Takouleu