Amid a looming energy crunch in Southern Africa, the Namibian government is pulling out all the stops to promote the use of renewable energies like wind and solar power. Namibia is dependant on South Africa for about half of its average daily power consumption of 200 megawatts (MW). South Africa's power utility Eskom announced in 2004 that it would be unable to provide Namibia with a steady supply of electricity in the near future. Eskom's surplus electricity supply capacity is expected to run out by 2007, as power demands in South Africa were expected to increase by 1,200 MW per annum.

Government ruffled some feathers among renewable-energy advocates yesterday (January 30) when it said it had been toying with the idea of nuclear power as a potential energy source for Namibia. But Mines and Energy Permanent Secretary Joseph Iita was quick to add that to date the subject had enjoyed only minimal attention and that at present Government was only informing itself about such an option. It has, however, informed Namibia's biggest uranium mine, Roessing, that a small nuclear power plant was up for discussion.

Without government support, a proposal to provide electricity to the informal settlements that ring the Namibian capital, Windhoek, is likely to be shelved because residents cannot afford the connection costs. A feasibility study commissioned by the Windhoek municipality found that income levels among the 14,000 people living in the townships were barely sustaining their most basic needs, leaving no surplus to pay for municipal services. The communities have complained about the lack of electricity, and street lighting in particular, because "dark neighbourhoods promote crime such as rape, murder and theft", a statement by the Windhoek Municipality noted.

The Chairperson of the NamPower Board of Directors, Andries Hungamo, says the power utility will spend N$1,5 billion to develop a 200 to 400 MW transmission interconnection between Zambia and Namibia, particularly in the Caprivi Region. The link is believed to will hold various strategic supply and commercial benefits for NamPower and is likely to decrease the country's dependency on South Africa for electricity. Hungamo said the project has been made possible by Zambia's recent construction of a 220 Kilovolt line from the Zambian substation at Livingstone to the Zambezi substation at Katima Mulilo.