Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Managing Director (MD) of the Namibia Power Corporation (NamPower), Kahenge Haulofu, has clarified that the recent decision to disconnect the electricity supply of defaulting customers was not influenced by Eskom.
According to Haulofu, Namibia is not as reliant on Eskom, the South African electricity public utility, as commonly believed. He therefore emphasised that no South African institution such as Eskom has exerted any influence on NamPower’s decision to introduce the recently announced Debt Collection Plan and Repayment Incentive.
“No South African, no organisation has ever told us anything. We are doing this on our own to get what is due to us as NamPower. We have to run this company prudently. Nobody has ever threatened us,” he said.
While 40% of Namibia’s electricity is produced domestically, the remaining 60% to 70% is imported from other countries. NamPower’s MD revealed that the country’s electricity is not only imported from South Africa, but also from Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Haulofu explained that Namibia has a bilateral agreement with Eskom, through which the country receives 100 Megawatts (MW) of electricity. As per the agreement, he added, when South Africa implements load shedding, Namibia is also proportionately affected. However, he said, Eskom has not threatened to cut Namibia’s electricity supply.
In addition to Eskom, Namibia also has agreements with Zambia and Zimbabwe to import electricity. The MD revealed that the country receives 180MW and 80MW of power from Zambia and Zimbabwe, respectively.
“In this country, we are always talking ‘Eskom, Eskom, Eskom’. We are getting more power from Zambia – 180MW – and another 80MW from Zimbabwe,” the MD emphasised.
Haulofu’s statements aimed to provide clarity regarding NamPower’s recent decision to disconnect the electricity supply of customers who have not settled their outstanding debts by 31 May. He revealed that NamPower’s customers owe a total of N$1.5 billion, with N$842 million of that being overdue.
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