NAMPOWER'S envisioned coal-fired power station at Arandis will present a unique case where the social and environmental impact of such a project on a small town of about 6 000 people will have to be weighed against the government's obligation to guarantee a critical basic need of over two million Namibians.
This was an observation at a public meeting at Arandis on Saturday during which the findings of draft scoping report for an 800MW coal-fired power station were presented.
The report will be submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism's Department for Environmental Affairs for approval, so that the Social and Environmental Impact Assessment process can continue.
Namibia's bulk power utility hopes its new power station will start producing electricity by 2015 - even if it is at an initial capacity of 150MW to 300MW. At least this, combined with the Ruacana, Van Eck and Anixas power plants, could make up for Namibia's peak energy demand of over 500MW - and growing.
Electricity Control Board (ECB) chief executive officer Siseho Simasiku said during last year's electricity supply stakeholders' forum in Walvis Bay that Namibia's energy issue has become a "critical national security matter", which was bigger than socio-economic concerns.
This concern was emphasised at Saturday's meeting. Electricity provision from neighbouring countries are being scaled down drastically because there is a general shortage of power supply in the southern African region as a whole.
Added to this is Namibia's increasing domestic and industrial appetite for electricity - from a country where power plant infrastructure is either old, small or dependent on external factors for optimal operation such as the Ruacana hydropower plant, which depends on a strong water flow.
The latest addition to the national power grid was the N$350 million 22,5 MegaWatt (MW) 'Anixas' diesel power station at Walvis Bay, commissioned last year; the first bulk electricity generator to be inaugurated since the Ruacana hydropower station that was opened in 1978. Anixas is a crucial link in the electricity grid, but will not be Namibia's saviour when it comes to bulk supply.
Nampower's current installed generation capacity is 415,5MW, with a peak demand of 511MW recorded in June last year, which excludes the 96MW requirement of the Skorpion Zinc mine in the south.
In addition, it is estimated that the growth in energy demand for this year will be 4,4 per cent with a corresponding growth in demand requirement of 4,6 per cent, according to a background information document of NamPower related to the proposed coal power station.
The shortfall to date was supplemented through energy imports over Namibia's interconnected transmission network with the Southern African Power Pool countries. During some periods the energy imports can be as high as 80 per cent of energy requirements.
This reliance on imported energy poses a big risk for Namibia though, as the region not only experiences power shortages but the transmission networks in neighbouring countries are congested.
Projects in the region are suffering from delays and in some cases are not being implemented at all.
The energy white paper of Namibia states objectives for more secure and reliable energy. It highlights that Namibia should aim to supply all of its demand (MW) and at least 75 per cent of its energy (MW per hour) requirements from its own installed generation capacity.
The proposed coal power station is one of the potential solutions to the current situation, and a site about six kilometres east of Arandis seems to have caught Nampower's eye.
Environmentally speaking, out of all the possible sites, which included sites near Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, as well as west of Arandis, the eastern location would seem to have the least impact.
Another element that played an important role in NamPower opting for the site is the town council's readiness to make land available for the initiative.
The Arandis town council is working exhaustively in turning this little town into the industrial hub of the region.
It even held its first investment conference during the last quarter of 2011 for which it has received much acclaim and support, according to the town's mayor, Daniel Muhuura.
The untimely availability of land for a seriously critical energy generator was what eventually led to plans for the erection of the coal-fired power station in Walvis Bay falling flat.
In general, considering the "modern and proven, but not experimental" technology to be used that will reduce pollutants by more than 90 per cent; the availability of coal, and the possibility of utilising biofuels and other organics; and limited impact on the environment, there is not really anything than can stop the plant from materialising east of Arandis.
Generally speaking, when it comes to large projects that have specialised markets, the social impact may very well outweigh the desire for the project, but the proposed coal-fired power station, like any other national infrastructure development, is an exception to the rule when it comes to the consideration of impacts.
Courtesy http://allafrica.com
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