Hybrid Power plant to boost Arandis

According to the Chief Executive Officer of the Arandis Town Council Florida Husselmann the construction of the 120 MW Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) and 50 MW Solar Hybrid Power Station will bring a very significant economic development to Arandis.

“In the construction phase there will be up to 1000 people working on site. Job opportunities for Arandis will be significant during this phase as well as opportunities for local subcontractors. During the 25 years of expected operations, there will be approximately 70 permanent jobs created of which 65 will be Namibians.
Husselmann said that the power plant will supply approximately 25% of Namibia’s power and the local tax contribution to the Arandis town will be very significant. The solar park land will be rented to the power company and not sold which will further contribute to the town’s income. The rental will be a percentage of power sales which will be considerably higher than going commercial rates. The objective is also to make Arandis the centre of excellence and training in Namibia for all renewable energy skills and professions. She further said that the power station will not only contribute to economic growth of Arandis and the Erongo Region, but it will alleviate the anticipated power crisis.
 She urged the stakeholders involved in the project to continue to work hard to make the the plant a reality. “Arandis will be humbled if it can be a contributor to the Namibian economy, thus, the leadership, management and residents of the town are appealing to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, NamPower and the Electricity Control Board (ECB) to support this much needed development. Much work has been put in to ensure the realization of this project and the community of Arandis is waiting for the promise of a better tomorrow, let us as decision makers realize this promise.”
The development of the 120 MW hybrid heavy fuel oil power-generation plant in Namibia is aimed at contributing almost 25% to Namibia’s power requirements. Currently, Namibia imports more than 60% of its electricity from neighbouring countries.
The plant, which is expected to be up-and-running in 2016, is considered as a short term, critical energy supply project until the Kudu gas power project starts functioning in 2018. Meanwhile, the Arandis power plant is said to consist of eight 15MW heavy fuel oil (HFO) engines and a ninth being a solar park with a capacity of up to 50 MW of photovoltaic panels.
Arandis Power is developing this initiative in association with NamPower. Husselmann also told the Economist that construction will start mid next year after Arandis Power and NamPower sign a Power Purchasing Agreement (PPA), which is slated to be signed early next year.