Founding Father connects Omburu to national grid

The Omburu solar plant was inaugurated this week when founding president Sam Nujoma and InnoSun Chief Executive Officer Grégoire Verhaege in a symbolic gesture joined two ends of a power line that will connect the solar plant to the national grid.

Expressing his joy at the inauguration of Namibia’s first commercial solar power plant, Innosun Chief Executive Officer Grégoire Verhaege said, “Seven years ago I had the pleasure and the honour of meeting Hon. Ben Amathila. In discussion with him about renewable energy he explained the Namibian Vision 2030 to me. I fell in love with this Vision and promised Ben Amathila to contribute to this Vision. But at that time renewable energy was still expensive and required feed-in tariffs and subsidies.”
Added Verhaege, “Happily millions of enthusiastic engineers around the world improved the length of the blades of wind turbines and the efficiency of solar panels allowing us to reach the good day of December 2013 when we signed with Nampower the first power purchase agreement as an Independent Power Producer.”
Also in attendance was French Ambassador, Her Excellency Jacqueline Bassa-Mazzoni who proceeded to quote from Genesis. “After 6 months, I feel I must pay tribute to InnoSun: They have delivered! You said it and you have done it! According to the book of Genesis, “let there be light and there be light.”
Added Bassa-Mazzoni, “Omburu Solar Plant is a first step of several other projects in the pipeline, not only solar plants but also wind farms. My wish is that all the projects could be implemented; therefore allowing me to attend many more groundbreaking ceremonies and events of this kind; but more seriously, the goal is to provide energy all around the country, meeting two top priorities of the government’s agenda, the fight against poverty, in the framework of the “blue economy” programme, and the developing industrialisation.”
Nampower Chief Executive Paulinus Shilamba expressed Nampower’s desire to work with Independent Power Producers (IPP). “The 4.5 megawatt plant is a clear testimony that IPPs can work in Namibia and that Nampower is more then willing to support and enter into Power Purchasing Agreements with IPPs.”