Namibia’s Electricity Supply Industry gathered in Windhoek this week for a stakeholder validation workshop. Hosted by the regulator Electricity Control Board (ECB) in close collaboration with the utility NamPower and in partnership with GET.transform, the event aimed to collect sector feedback on a new guideline for transmission grid connection. The guideline aspires to enhance regulatory efficiency in connecting Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to the transmission network.
The connection of new generation capacity to the national grid of Namibia requires sufficient grid connection capacity to enable these projects to come online. However, in the past few years, the development of new grid connection capacity has lagged the uptake of generation capacity while at the same time a relaxation of generation license requirements resulted in a fast increase in applications for grid connections IPPs.
To avoid further grid capacity constraints and render the process more efficient and transparent, the proposed new rules will give effect to the principle of “first ready, first served”, thus ensuring the successful allocation of capacity to projects that are ready to connect to the national grid.
Sector representatives discussing the guideline included ECB, NamPower, IPPs, Regional Electricity Distributors, and the Ministry of Mines and Energy. The attendees agreed on the need for a non-discriminatory and transparent process and the potential of the new guideline to bring this to life.
Namibia is actively working on unlocking further generation capacity through IPPs. Previous efforts produced a market access guide that was published in partnership with NamPower, the Southern African Power Pool and GET.transform last year. The guide supports IPPs in navigating the processes and requirements for active participation in both the national MSB and regional SAPP markets.
