Refurbished Van Eck generates again

State energy utility NamPower announce this week that the first unit at the Van Eck Power Station outside Windhoek, is again contributing megawatts to the local generation capacity.
Rehabilitation work on all four units at Van Eck Power Station began in 2012 to increase the reliability and efficiency of the power station to meet its original design output of 120 mW.

After full refurbishment, each of the four units will generate 30 mW. The design lifespan of the refurbished power station will cover the next decade. The second unit is expected to return to service by mid-to-end June 2015 with all units to be running at full capacity by the end of the year. The total cost of the rehabilitation project is about N$330 million.“Namibia is currently facing serious power constraints due to a technical fault on one of the region’s transmission lines, and the power from Van Eck Power Station (the country’s first power station built in 1972) is a welcome relief” said NamPower. Despite the fact that the Van Eck power station is contributing to local generation, there is still a shortfall because the 80 mW electricity NamPower receives from the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply authority (ZESA) has not been restored yet. “Also, the systems of our regional suppliers and transmission partners are under strain and as a result supply to Namibia is limited.”
NamPower started running its “Power of Knowing” energy savings campaign this week. The utility urged all users to use electricity sparingly saying “We thank the nation for sharing the load with us while we are doing our utmost best to ensure security of supply under these difficult circumstances.”