Namibia

Namibia’s electricity generation mix is dominated by hydropower, which made up 61.3% as of 2021. Its chief asset is the 347-MW Ruacana hydropower plant, and a second plant, the Baynes Hydropower Project on the Kunene River, is under evaluation.

Around 60% of the country’s electricity demand is imported from neighbouring South Africa. In order to improve self-sufficiency, the government in recent years has taken steps to make the power generation sector more attractive for independent producers, including the horizontal integration of over 70 players into five regional distribution companies.

As of end-2022, Namibia’s installed solar PV capacity stood at 176 MW.

Namibia’s oil and gas sector is attracting worldwide attention following discoveries in the offshore Orange Basin in 2022 and 2023. The basin is estimated to hold 11 billion barrels of light oil and 62.3 bcm (2.2 tcf) of natural gas. Supermajors TotalEnergies, Chevron, Shell and ExxonMobil are present in the country.

The country’s national integrated oil and gas company is NAMCOR, whose mission is to attract investment by providing world-class data and value for stakeholders. The US International Trade Administration projects that Namibia’s hydrocarbons developments could double its GDP by 2040.

Policymakers in Namibia have expressed an interest in developing nuclear power generation.  The country’s uranium reserves are among the world’s top 10.