Namibia inks game-changing wind farm deal in Paris

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism has signed an agreement at a global climate change conference in Paris to set up a 150 megawatt (MW) wind farm in the Sperrgebiet National Park. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the ministry and InnoSun - a subsidiary of French company InnoVent - during a side event at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Environment and Tourism Minister, Pohamba Shifeta, said the occasion marks the start of a new era for Namibia, during which the country will exploit its abundant renewable energy resources to the fullest, for its development. According to Shifeta, Namibia’s climate and environment provides one of the most fertile grounds for renewable energy in the world. He said Namibia has one of the best solar regimes, with over 3 300 hours of sunshine per year and its 1 500km coastline has excellent potential for wind-based electricity generation. Namibia also has one of the lowest pollution densities in the world, with vast tracks of unused land available for the establishment of large-scale renewable energy infrastructure. “We encourage private investors to take advantage of these opportunities and we expect this memorandum to be just the beginning,” said Shifeta. He said Namibia and the SADC region in general is facing an energy crisis, and renewable energy is one of the key solutions to this challenge. Shifeta said Namibia has therefore committed in its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to increase its share of renewable energy in electricity production to 70% by 2030. Shifeta said that Namibia can even move beyond this, with adequate support from investors. “To the potential investors out there, I assure you that your investment will be facilitated, your investment will be protected and hopefully your investment will generate returns and will be utilised to transform our nation’s development,” he added. ELLANIE SMIT