- Electricity generation drops in Ruacana power station
- Poor rainfall to blame for low water flow from Kunene River
According to the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), the country experienced a drop in its total electricity generation by 24.9% in July. Poor rainfall has affected the water flow from the Kunene River, resulting in decreased power generation at the Ruacana power station. Electricity generation from the Ruacana power station dropped by 85.7% as of July 2021.
While speaking on the issue, the spokesperson for the Namibia Power Corporation (NamPower), Tangeni Kambangula, said, “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,”
The fall in domestic electricity generation forced Namibia to import more electricity to meet its domestic demand. According to the NSA report, “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 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 report shows South Africa remains the biggest export of electricity to Namibia, supplying about 50% of imports, followed by Zambia (27.3%) and Zimbabwe (12.4%).