Chamwe Kaira
14 September 2007
Windhoek — An international private company has joined the growing list of companies that want to set up power generating plants at the country's coast.
This week, the Economist established that Electrawinds NV - a Belgian company - has applied to the Electricity Control Board (ECB) for a licence with plans to set up two wind farms with a total capacity of 100 mW.
The application, lodged with the ECB and seen by the Economist this week, has been opened for viewing by the general public, with comments or objections to the project invited until the end of September.
Electrawinds is the leading independent renewable energy company in Belgium with further operations in Italy.
Since its formation in 1998, Electrawinds has invested a total of €100 million, according to information on its website www.electrawinds.be .
Electrawinds said in its application documents that the wind farms to be established at the port towns of Walvis Bay will have a generation capacity of 55 mW and that in
Lüderitz will generate 45 mW of power.
The company plans to use turbines from Enercon Gmbh of Germany and has applied for a 25-year licence.
The company has proposed a price of €0-08 per kWh of its electricity although it hopes to reduce the price to between €0-04 and €0-06 per kWh.
The government is keen to attract private investors in the energy sector to help meet the country’s increasing power demand.
In April this year, Aeolus Power Generation Namibia, a joint venture between Dutch businessman Leo van Gastel and Namibian partner, the United Africa Group, was given a licence to set up a wind park at the coast that plans to generate 92 mW of electricity per annum.
In July this year, Binvis Investments that is made up of German and Namibian investors said it was planning to set up two 350 mW power stations in Walvis Bay that would use coal technology.
Nevertheless, Electrawinds says it is guided by three objectives: to promote renewable energy; to produce, sell and distribute renewable energy; and to research and develop new applications in the renewable energy sphere.
The company says it has delivered eight major projects. These include a bio fuel installation in Ostend and a series of facilities near Bruges including the largest wind farm in Belgium.
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