The Kudu Power Project would be commercially operational by the close of 2017, the Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy, Willem Isaacks confirmed during the opening of the 41st Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) Meeting in Walvis Bay this week.
Isaacks was BUSINESS YOUR BUT conveying a keynote address on behalf of Mines and Energy Minister Isak Katali.
According to Isaacks, the assessment of pre-qualification of the EPC tenderers was completed and a total of 15 companies were shortlisted to official tender for the Kudu Power Project.
Isaacks was not specific on who these fifteen shortlisted tenderers were, but added the assessment of Equity and Operations and Maintenance pre-qualification tenderers is due for completion by end September.
Tenders for the financing of the Kudu Power Project will also be issued this month, confirmed Isaacks.
Isaacks was hopeful that final tender awards would be made by mid-2014 and Namibia is currently in an advanced stage to conclude power supply projects from Kudu with South Africa’s Escom and the Copperbelt Energy Corporation of Zambia.
Construction of the project would require three and a half years. Isaacks urged SAPP members on Tuesday to view the Kudu Power Project as a Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) asset and not only for Namibia and further urged these member states to support the project supposedly with power purchase agreements.
The Southern African Power Pool was founded in 1995 and consists of power utilities of all Southern African Countries, under the auspices of the SADC.
Member countries are: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
NamPower’s managing director Paulinus Shilamba outlined the importance of the SAPP on Tuesday as ne-cessary to facilitate the development of competitive electricity markets in the SADC region where electricÆity users will have a choice of electricity suppliers.
The SAPP is also responsible to oversee that power supply developments take place in sound economic and environmental frameworks.
The overall mission of all members of the SAPP is to make electricity, as the backbone of economic development, available and affordable throughout the SADC.
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