CHAMWE KAIRA
Namdeb Diamond Corporation (Namdeb) is proposing the development of the Kerbehuk Ridge Wind Farm, a 34MW Wind Energy Facility (WEF) located approximately 50km north of Oranjemund, within the Southern Coastal Mine area covered by Mining Licence 43.
The development and operation of the Namdeb Wind (Phase 1) project are contingent upon receiving an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) from the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (MEFT). Granting of the ECC is subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which is being undertaken by SLR Consulting (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd (SLR).
Namdeb is jointly owned by the government and the DeBeers Group on a 50/50 basis. Anglo American plc, as a majority shareholder in the DeBeers Group, has initiated a regional programme across its southern African operations to transition to nearly 3000 Mega Watts (MW) of renewable energy alternatives (including solar, wind, and storage) by 2030. Namdeb has committed to reducing its carbon footprint in alignment with the objective of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
The project, situated within Mining Licence (ML) 43, also known as Namdeb’s Southern Coastal Mine (SCM) operations near Oranjemund, is projected to generate up to 34 MW (equivalent to 175,000 Mega Watt hours/year) through the operation of up to 12 Wind Turbine Generators (WTG), each with a generation capacity of up to 8 MW.
The draft Environmental Assessment (EA) Report is undergoing a 21-day comment period from March 14 to April 5, 2024, providing Interested and Affected Parties (I&APs) with an opportunity to comment on any aspect of the proposed Project and the findings of the EIA process.
Namibia’s average energy consumption rate exceeds 3,000 GWh/year, while its generation capacity stands at around 1305 GWh/year. The country’s electricity generation primarily relies on various sources, including the 240 MW hydro-electric power plant on the Kunene River in Ruacana, the 120 MW van Eck coal-powered plant north of Windhoek, the Paratus 24 MW heavy fuel-oil powered plant in Walvis Bay, the 5.78 MW solar plant in Trekkopje in the Erongo region, the 22 MW ANIXAS diesel power station at Walvis Bay, the 20 MW Omburu PV Power plant in Omaruru, and the 45.5 MW solar park in Mariental.
In 2021, Namibia imported US$238 million worth of electricity, primarily from South Africa (US$163 million), Zambia (US$71.8 million), and Zimbabwe (US$3 million).
The current long-term forecast for Namdeb indicates that its Southern Coastal operations would consume about 200 000 MWh per year of electricity by 2030. Additionally, Namdeb would require approximately 35 million liters of diesel. The construction phase is expected to span 12 to 18 months and involve up to 140 people working on-site.
