The northern town of Tsumeb may soon join the solar bandwagon with a 20 MW photovoltaic (PV) solar park planned for the mining town in the Oshikoto region.
The solar PV plant, to supply power to the Dundee Precious Metals Tsumeb (DPMT) smelter, will be developed by Massaus and Titan Energy Solutions. The project, to be situated within the DPMT license area, will use 15,000–20,000 panels to reduce reliance on conventional, high-load energy and feed surplus power into the national grid.
Massaus and Titan Energy Solutions secured an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) for the project, which is intended to feed surplus electricity into the national grid.
Developers may also deploy a single-axis tracking system to improve daily energy output by rotating the panels between +45 and –45 degrees.
Electrical integration will involve stepping voltage from 240 V to 33 kV, then 66 kV, with the option of adding an onsite substation to raise output to 132 kV before feeding into the national grid.
Massaus, a Namibian-owned green-energy project developer, is currently completing its licensing processes with the Electricity Control Board.
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism said the collaboration between Massaus and DPMT aims to provide a reliable, renewable and cost-effective power source that stabilises smelter operations and reduces pressure on the national electricity system.
“Massaus is in the process of obtaining a licence or approval from the Electricity Control Board of Namibia, and collaborating with Dundee Precious Metals Tsumeb (DPMT) to develop a 20 MW photovoltaic solar generating plant that will augment the DPMT’s power needs and feed surplus generated energy into the national grid,” the Ministry noted.
The project is expected to support Namibia’s renewable-energy commitments by increasing clean-energy availability and reducing dependence on imported or carbon-intensive electricity.
