Nampower invest in Bush to Electricity power generation

• 9 years ago (2015-10-26)
• David Flin

North America 1042 Renewables 791

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The use of encroacher biomass as a source of renewable electricity has a large potential for the energy sector and the economy in Namibia, as Nampower prepares to generate electricity from invader bush.

Electricity utility Nampower will start with the feasibility phase. A pre-feasibility study found that there was sufficient encroacher bush biomass to supply 10 plants of 20 MW each for nearly 200 years. As part of a national biomass project, Private Public Partnership models are also being investigated for possible project financing of smaller distribution of around 5 MW. Nampower is also considering the hybridization of these bush-to-electricity power plants with solar technology.

The German Schwenk Zement Group that established the Ohorongo Cement Plant in the north of Namibia has been pioneering bush-to-energy in the region by introducing large scale de-bushing operations in order to substitute up to 50,000 tons of coal by bush annually.

The project is being financially supported by the German development banks KfW and DEG.