Decreased power generation from the Ruacana power station is linked to low water flow in the Kunene River from Angola due to a dry rainy season in that country. This was the view of Namibia Power Corporation (NamPower) spokesperson Tangeni Kambangula when responding to queries from New era.
According to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA)’s report for July 2021, Namibia’s domestic generation of electricity fell by 24.9% on a monthly basis, and 69.2% on an annual basis. The reduction over the year was mainly attributed to significantly reduced generation from the Ruacana power station that declined by 85.7%.
“When the river flow is low, the station generates less electricity. When the flow is strong, it generates more. Also take note that the river flow does not depend on Namibia’s rainfall but on that of Angola, which had a very dry rainy season during the said period,” explained Kambangula.
The reduction in domestic production has forced Namibia to import more electricity in order to meet domestic demand.
“The Electricity Sources Composite Index composed of own generation (production) and imported electricity recorded an increase on a monthly basis by 4.8% in July 2021, whereas in June 2021, it registered a decline of 4.7%. On a yearly basis, the index recorded a reduction of 10.2%,” the NSA stated.
The annual decline in the index is attributed to a reduction in the own generation of electricity, whereas the importation of electricity recorded an increase.
The recent report stipulated that Namibia imported 297 297 MWh of electricity in July 2021, with South Africa supplying about 50%, followed by Zambia (27.3%) and Zimbabwe (12.4%).