OTJIWARONGO  – The newly upgraded solar plant for ANIREP-HopSol Africa at Otjiwarongo was commissioned on Thursday.

Otjozondjupa Regional Council chairperson Paulus Nekundi commissioned the plant on behalf of the Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy Modestus Amutse, and led a site tour to the plant situated about three kilometres west of Otjiwarongo.

In a statement read on his behalf, Amutse noted that the plant will contribute roughly 11 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the national grid. The power is converted from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) before being distributed via Cenored’s overhead lines.

Amutse clarified that the solar plant is not a replacement for traditional power, but rather a strategic addition to Cenored’s “electricity bank.”

“The project is a symbol of innovation and investment into a modern, reliable power supply through the green energy system,” he said.

ANIREP managing director Iyaloo ya Nangolo at the event stated that this project represents the first-ever solar generation facility in the country to be backed by modern battery storage.

Initially, the Otjiwarongo HopSol solar plant, inaugurated in 2015, only generated about five megawatts, and with the new expansion, the entire solar plant will be able to generate about 13 megawatts.

“Since Otjiwarongo consumes about 10 megawatts at the moment, the plant will have surplus electricity to be stored in the system, backed up with the solar batteries, which can also produce electricity at night or when cloudy,” said Ya Nangolo.

The plant was upgraded at a cost of over N$200 million from June 2024 to February 2026, with a total of 48 000 solar panels now, he said.

HopSol Africa Chief Executive Officer, Silvester Wayiti and several business partners of Cenored, NamPower and Huawei Technologies Namibia also attended. ANIREP owns the Otjiwarongo HopSol plant, said Wayiti.

-Nampa