By Eveline de Klerk
WALVIS BAY -The Erongo regional electricity distributor, Erongo Red, wants to be the sole supplier of electricity in the Erongo Region.
The CEO of Erongo Red, Robert Kahimise, said it is high time the big guns in the electricity industry allow Erongo Red to supply electricity to all the mines in the region as well.
According to Kahimise, this will stabilise the cost of electricity.
Kahimise said consultations on the issue are currently underway and at an advanced stage.
He said this at a stakeholders breakfast meeting recently held at Walvis Bay.
During an exclusive interview earlier this year, Kahimse revealed that supplying mines with electricity underlines the purpose of the “Red model”.
He said this would give Erongo Red an advantage in terms of suppressing the impact of high power tariffs as the company would have a bigger client base.
A big beneficiary of the region’s mining sector is NamPower which directly supplies mines with electricity.
“Erongo Red is solely licensed for electricity distribution in the Erongo Region and we intend to become the sole supplier in Erongo – this includes already operating mines, those in the pipelines as well as desalination plants.”
He added: “In all fairness, these mines are situated in our region and should be our direct customers.”
He elaborated further that supplying electricity to mines would mean they can also provide electricity to nearby towns at a lower cost.
“Look at towns such as Okhombahe and Otjimbingwe. Where are they looking for power? We have such a huge mandate in terms of our national interest. Why can’t we supply electricity to the mines and use that opportunity to supply all nearby settlements. This is the basis of our case and it has been positively received,” he said.
“Serving the mines will simply mean using local authority facilities and this means that by supplying bigger customers such as the mines we will positively impact on the continuous increase in the price of electricity This is the merit of our case,” he told New Era.