Agreement Signed For 81 MW Solar PV Park In Namibia

• Namibia's Natura Energy and Globeleq have joined hands to develop an 81 MW solar power plant in the African country
• It will be located in Arandis town of Erongo region and will be built for an investment of NAD 1 billion
• Project will sell clean energy to local and international buyers under MSB regulation

A 50 MW solar PV project planned for Namibia near Arandis town of Erongo region is to be expanded to 81 MW total capacity, after an agreement was reached between local project developer Natura Energy and British independent power producer Globeleq.

Dubbed as TeraSun Energy Project, the solar facility is anticipated to need an investment of NAD 1 billion ($69 million), according to Natura Energy whose statement was quoted by various media outlets to report the development. Once complete, it is expected to generate 227,700 MWh of clean energy annually, enough to suffice 68,000 average homes annually in Namibia.

Both the partners plan to grid connect the solar project, and sell power generated to large energy users in the country, pricing it competitively, under the Modified Single Buyer (MSB) regulation in Namibia. Devised by the government's Electricity Control Board (ECB), the framework allows IPPs to directly supply electricity to local and international buyers for grid connected power supply. For power generated from the 81 MW project, multiple buyers will be able to source clean energy under long term power purchase agreements (PPA).

According to the reports, Natura Energy hopes to get going faster on the TeraSun Energy Project it has been developing for a while aiming to break ground in Q3/2022, thanks to the presence of Globeleq that's moving fast on several solar projects in other African nations (see Eswatini Selects Bidders For 45 MW Solar Capacity).

In June 2021, the Municipal Council of Windhoek in Namibia issued a tender for 25 MW solar PV plant to be developed on BOO model (see Namibia's Capital Wants 25 MW Solar PV Capacity).