STAFF WRITER
The Ministry of Mines and Energy has extended the ban on power exports for the next 24 months to sustain domestic demand.
In a statement released by the Electricity Control Board (ECB) Spokesperson Nelson Ashipala on Monday said the regulator had advised the minister to renew the moratorium on the granting of generation licences for electricity export purposes.
The renewed moratorium is effective from 05 September 2025 for a period of 40 months, ending 05 January 2029.
“The Modified Single Buyer (MSB) market framework currently allows private generators to
develop generation capacity in Namibia for electricity export purposes. However, limited transmission capacity on the interconnectors within neighboring South Africa continues to constrain the export of electricity from Namibia into the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP),” Ashipala said..
Ashipala said the renewal of the moratorium is a responsible and prudent regulatory measure to protect the integrity of the Electricity Supply Industry (ESI) and the interests of existing and prospective licence holders.
The ban however exempts variable Renewable Energy Plants with Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).
“This exemption is subject to the confirmation of viability and night-time transmission capacity by the National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA), and will be considered on a first-ready, first-served basis, prior to any licence consideration by the ECB,” Ashipala said.
He said exemption will also benefit Namibian Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
“The ECB, in collaboration with NamPower, is currently assessing the available capacity and is therefore not considering the submission of new licence applications for export purposes until further notice. The ECB will not consider such applications until the moratorium is lifted, the applicable transmission constraints are formally confirmed to have been resolved, or the capacity assessment referred to above has been finalised.,” Ashipala said.
According to Ashipala the renewal of the moratorium is not intended to discourage investment in local electricity generation, but a targeted, time-bound measure to manage a specific and known infrastructure constraint responsibly.
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