OTJIWARONGO - The Central North Regional Electricity Distributor (Cenored) yesterday announced that its electricity tariffs will increase by nearly 8%, effective from 01 July this year.

Fessor Mbango, the company’s CEO, made the announcement during a media briefing in Otjiwarongo.

He explained that Cenored, which supplies electricity to the regions of Omaheke, Otjozondjupa, Kunene, and partly Oshikoto, had applied for the tariff increases, and the Electricity Control Board (ECB) approved the application.

He said the need for tariff hikes was due to the fact that the national bulk electricity supplier company, NamPower, also had an increase in its electricity supply in May this year.

This increase in NamPower’s tariffs automatically affected the bulk purchase of electricity from them by Cenored.

“As a result, our company’s 7.6% tariff increase will impact customers in the domestic prepaid tariff category, who will now have to pay N$2.61 per unit, compared to the previous N$ 2.31,” said Mbango.

He further explained that customers in the general or business tariff category will now pay N$4.45 per unit, as opposed to the previous N$4.28 they paid, while farm customers will now pay N$5.60 per unit, up from N$5.09.

Mbango clarified that N$100 of electricity in the domestic category will now yield 35 units, down from the previous 40 units. For the business category, N$100 will yield 20 units, reduced from the previous 22 units, and for farmers, it will provide 17 units, down from the previous 19 units.

- Nampa