Not ready for nuclear

Namibia is not ready to seriously entertain adding nuclear power to the local energy mix, NamPower functionaries and ministry of mines and energy officials said.

Abraham Hangula, deputy director for energy planning and research, recently told an industry summit that nuclear power is not prominent in the national integrated resource plan because of various regulatory issues pertaining to non-proliferation, the requirement for a dedicated government agency to regulate nuclear electricity generation, and the requirement for at least an n-1 level grid in the country.

Last year, the World Bank was considering funding for the 400 kilovolt (kV) Auas-Kokerboom transmission line (n-1) to improve network stability and reliability of the transmission system, enabling integration of additional variable renewable energy into the grid, in particular by private-sector-led independent power producers. In addition, the Auas-Kokerboom line would enable future electricity wheeling opportunities.

Although the N$2.7 billion line is among NamPower's transmission projects for 2027, Hangula said it could take 18 to 20 years of electricity infrastructure development before Namibia would be in a position to load nuclear energy into the resource plan. Apart from infrastructure constraints, economic, technological, regulatory, environmental and financial reasons have previously been raised to justify the reluctance to embrace nuclear power here.

Small modular reactors are advancing rapidly and could offer a quicker solution, but Hangula said they are still extremely expensive from Namibia’s point of view. “It needs to be fit for purpose and fit into our least-cost plan,” he said.

NamPower officials pointed out that the integrated resource plan is the guiding document of the national electricity utility and that it shies away from nuclear power. The question of whether or not to incorporate nuclear power is therefore a national issue, not a NamPower issue, they explained.

“There is no reason why Namibia couldn’t follow in the footsteps of more than 50 other countries who have developed nuclear energy programmes. South Africa has already constructed a nuclear power plant in the region, with two 930 megawatt electric (MWe) reactors built at the Koeberg nuclear power plant in 1985. That is not, however, to understate the significant preparation required to facilitate the development of nuclear reactors,” local daily New Era quoted the World Nuclear Association as saying late last year. According to the association, one small nuclear reactor could provide 186% of Namibia’s required electricity, the newspaper reported.

The Windhoek Observer reported that China National Uranium Corporation offered to build Namibia a nuclear plant, but it quoted mines and energy minister Tom Alweendo as saying he was not aware of the offer. “At the moment, nuclear power is not an immediate consideration in the energy mix, but it’s not entirely ruled out in the future,” Alweendo said, according to the local newspaper.

In 2022, Namibia was the world’s third biggest producer of uranium used for nuclear power generation, and with two additional uranium mines expected to come into operation in the months to come, that position could be strengthened.