Coal power station for Arandis

NamPower, the state run power utility, is currently looking at a number of sites in the Erongo region as a suitable location for a coal power station, with Arandis currently first in line.
Paulinus Shilamba, managing director of NamPower, this week said that preference has currently been given to a location east of Arandis, as outlined in a detailed economic impact assessment study.
Andrew !Hoaeb, communication officer at the Arandis Town Council, has confirmed the news. “NamPower is seriously considering Arandis as the preferred site for the [Erongo Coal Power Station],” he said.
The Erongo Coal Power Station will be commissioned to address the power deficit in the region and country.
“The substantial increase in power demand of the Central Namib due to the growth in development  has required the investigation into the feasibility of a coal-fired power station,” Shilamba said.
The capacity considered as part of the first phase is about 300MW, which will be upgraded to 800MW in the future.
The planned power station will include an access road for vehicles during construction and operation, rail access to bring coal to the site from the port of Walvis Bay and a coal storage area to allow for a stockpile for continuous operation amongst others.
The coal power station is also expected to provide great impetus to the development of Arandis and has the potential to transform the town into an industrial hub.
Nampower has commissioned several power and energy utilities this year which are poised to boom the power demand, including the Tsumkwe Renewable Energy Project, one of the largest state-of-the-art 200 kW solar diesel hybrid systems in Africa, as well as the ANIXAS Power station with a capacity of 22.5 MW at Walvis Bay which was launched last month.
Existing sources of electricity include the Van Eck Coal Power Station in Windhoek with a capacity of 120 megawatt, the Ruacana Hydro-electric Power Station with a capacity of 240 megawatt and the Walvis Bay Paratus Diesel Power Station with a capacity of 18.5 megawatt.
Namibia’s current electricity demand is estimated at 550 megawatt and NamPower is undertaking several initiatives to address the power shortage in the country.