CHAMWE KAIRA
Namdeb plans to upscale its planned 34 MW wind plant to 100-150 MW. Corporate affairs manager Grace Luvindao said the intent of the recent MoU signed with NamPower is to upscale the project to a significantly larger wind energy facility that is connected to the NamPower electrical grid.
“Initial indications are that the facility can be upscaled to between 100-150MW, however this will be confirmed as the study progresses. The capital cost and the funding for the project will be determined once the study phase of the project is nearing completion.”
Luvindao said at present, Namdeb does not operate any large-scale renewable electricity plants.
However, Namdeb has installed a rooftop solar system for its offices in Oranjemund and is investigating expanding the rooftop solar installations.
“In addition, Namdeb has installed a solar radiation measurement system in its mining area to determine the potential of a photovoltaic solar plant and will be conducting a feasibility study once 12 months of data has been collected in the second part of the year,” she added.
Luvindao said Namdeb is committed to reducing its carbon emissions as part of its sustainability programme and has developed a fully fledged programme.
She explained that Namdeb’s Scope 1 (fossil fuels) and Scope 2 (electrical) emissions have been baselined to determine the contribution of each operational activity to Namdeb’s overall carbon footprint.
Furthermore, she said that, to address Scope 1, Namdeb is executing an electrification strategy by implementing an alternative mining system that is powered by electrical energy rather than fossil fuels to reduce its fuel consumption.
“Once the mining operation is mostly electrified, Namdeb is positioning itself to source the maximum amount of its electrical energy from renewable sources, which is aligned to Scope 2.”
In addition, Luvindao said moving from the Eskom electrical grid to the NamPower grid has a positive effect on carbon emissions, as the grid intensity factor (that is, the CO₂ produced per kWh of electricity consumed) for the NamPower grid is much lower than Eskom’s.
“This is due to the fact that NamPower sources a larger proportion of its electricity from renewable sources, such as the Ruacana Hydro-electric Power Station. The combination of these projects results in a significant reduction in carbon emissions by 2030,” she said.
Recently, Namdeb and NamPower signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate collaboration on the development and integration of renewable electricity projects into the national grid and Namdeb’s mining operations efforts.
The proposed development site is located approximately 45 km north of Oranjemund, within Mining License 43, where Namdeb is developing a 34 MW wind power plant and is the sole off-taker of the electricity generated.
Namdeb CEO Riaan Burger said the company’s ambition to become carbon neutral is backed by tangible actions. Namdeb introduced its first battery-electric bus in 2023 to start electrifying its vehicle fleet.
NamPower’s objective to source at least 70% of energy from renewable energy by 2030 aligns well with Namdeb’s goal of becoming carbon neutral within the same timeframe.
