Namibia and South Africa agree on energy MoU

Namibia and South Africa on Friday agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) geared towards the energy sector, for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

This was announced by Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo, during a visit by his South African counterpart, Minister of Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa in Windhoek.

Alweendo said the MoU will focus on green hydrogen; oil and gas; and infrastructure related to energy.

“[With] South Africa as our neighbouring country, we have a lot of collaborations and energy is one of them. This visit is even important given the energy deficit that we have, not only in South Africa but definitely in the whole region. We all know that we don’t have enough energy, especially electricity,” he said.

Alweendo added that Namibia is not only buying electricity from South Africa, it equally shares infrastructure.

At the same occasion, Ramokgopa said the two countries’ relationship is symbiotic, as despite South Africa continuing to grapple with the pressing issue of load-shedding, they continue to provide electricity to Namibia.

“First for us is to resolve the most immediate problem that is confronting us as to the energy deficit in the country. We are making significant strides. The intensity of loading shedding, which is a really technical instrument that we deploy when demand far exceeds generation, the intensity is beginning to lessen,” he said.

He noted that there are opportunities that present themselves in the energy sector to build energy security for the region, including Namibia.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency