Martin Endjala
THE Windhoek Municipal Council approved the Electricity Pricing Policy, which offers a framework for the development of electricity pricing and will serve as a guide for future tariff reviews in the medium to long term.
The policy’s goal is to provide advice to the Department of Electricity and the general public on how to implement the city’s energy tariff portfolio by outlining numerous previously undocumented rules and requirements
“It will help provide clarity on the tariff categories offered by the council and chart the path forward in meeting the needs of both customers and the Council,” said CoW Mayor, Joseph Uapigene
This comes after the recently announced tariffs hike by the city that could see electricity tariffs increase by 9.7 percent, which generated numerous complaints from the residents given the current inflation and economic woes.
The policy was developed by the Department of Electricity before approval and the draft was submitted to the Electricity Control Board (ECB) for review before proceeding with internal consultation.
Uapingene said the goal of the policy is in line with the National Electricity Distribution Tariff Study of 2018 and the National Connection Charge Policy which is to offer clients electricity at prices that are transparent and cost-reflective.
“Tariffs for the Municipal Council of Windhoek are developed in accordance with guidelines provided by the Electricity Control Board,” said Uapingene.
He emphasised that NamPower’s annual bulk purchase cost pricing played a significant role in determining the tariff adjustment.
Uaoingene added that the City is required on an annual basis to submit tariff approval application to the ECB in terms of Section 27 of the Electricity Act, 2007 (Act 4 of 2007).
“Within this framework, Council has the autonomy to develop electricity tariffs and tariff categories that take into account the needs of electricity consumers,” explained Uapingene.
Furthermore, Council approved the Electrical Asset Maintenance Policy, which aims to provide the strategic stance and rules for sustaining the Municipal Council of Windhoek’s electrical network.
According to Uapingene, the city operates a modern electrical distribution network comprised of several subsystems/substations.
“The proper maintenance of electrical network assets assures reliability, security of supply, and standard quality of supply to consumers while also protecting the safety of people and network equipment.”
He also said that the electrical assets in the network are subjected to varying levels of maintenance or repair in accordance with regulatory requirements, manufacturer recommendations, and Electricity Supply Industry best practices.
“Correct maintenance services are critical to improving network availability and reliability in accordance with regulatory requirements as well as Council’s Strategic Plan.
The Electrical Asset Maintenance Policy enables the Department of Electricity to adopt and implement a strategic position for maintaining electrical assets in order to ensure reliability, security of supply, and standard quality of supply to consumers while protecting people and network equipment,” Uapingene stated.
