Arandis thermal-solar power plant in Namibia

On November 24, 2016, the construction of the 3-megawatt (MW) Arandis thermal-solar power plant was formally launched. The project was launched by the developer, OLC Arandis Solar Energy, which is a joint venture between O&L Energy, a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group.

OLC is working closely with its strategic partner Cronimet Mining Power Solutions GmbH, and the Women of Destiny Trust in the project which is expected to supply electricity to ErongoRED, the leading electricity supplier to the Erongo Region,

At the beginning of 2022, the project was awaiting approval. It was scheduled to undergo a single phase of development. The project was anticipated to be put into operation in 2022 after the completion of its construction.

Reported on June 14, 2014

Africa’s first thermal-solar power plant to be constructed in Namibia

Construction of Africa’s first thermal-solar power plant at Arandis in Namibia is set to commence before the end of this year. The total project cost is estimated at US$285.1m and will contribute about 26% of Namibia’s electricity requirement.

The solar power plant will combine thermal and solar energy to produce a 120MW ‘hybrid’, the first of its kind on the continent. The power station will take 22 months to construct and will have a new connection substation and a short power line that will both be donated to NamPower. The plant will consist of eight 15MW heavy fuel oil (HFO) engines weighing 358 tons each, with a “9th engine” solar park with a capacity of up to 50MW of photovoltaic solar panels.

Arandis Power’s 120MW hybrid power plant aims to reduce the fuel bill of the power station and subsequently bring down the overall cost of electricity for NamPower and the country which is relatively high currently. If this aim is achieved, the savings on this fuel bill could be up to US$14.3m per year which is an equivalent of about 23, 000 tons of fuel a year.

Namibia currently imports over 60% of its energy requirement but the import option is disappearing for NamPower due to the regional electricity shortage.

Sep 2016

Construction of mega solar power plant in Namibia to begin soon

A solar power plant in Namibia in the mining town of Arandis comes after Arandis Solar Energy which is an independent power producer, fruitfully tendered for the construction of the new power plant in 2015.

The new mega solar power plant in Namibia is projected to cost US$ 6m and will be constructed on a piece of land that measures 12.5 hectares which will afterward be leased from Arandis Town Council.

The power purchase agreement (PPA) that was between two companies, Erongo Red and OLC Arandis Solar Energy which was recently signed at Walvis Bay will end in the new 3.4 megawatts (MW) solar-powered plant.

Erongo Red Chief Executive Officer, Mr.  Robert Kahimise confirmed the reports and said that the initiative of the power plant is expected to save the regional electricity distributor close to US$ 430, 000 annually and an estimated US$ 9m over a 25-year period.

Mr. Kahimise further stated that the signing of the PPA marks a very important milestone for Erongo Red which he says is continuously seeking ways to make power supply more affordable. According to him, the Electricity Control Board will provide regulatory oversight.

“The Arandis Solar project will not only ease Erongo Red’s electricity bill from Nampower but will also allow electricity consumers to have access to clean energy at a reasonable price. Personally, I feel like the signing of this agreement is a good a promising step and it came at the right time when we are shifting our focus to renewable energy as we diversify our energy mix such as wind, solar, and biomass,” he said.

OLC Arandis Solar Energy will be the registered operator of the plant and the seller of generated power.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the new solar plant will take place in November this year.