In 2023, Namibia relied on net imports for almost 60% of its electricity consumption, while domestic low-carbon generation supplied about 40%. Hydropower contributed roughly 28% and solar another 11%, making these the main domestic clean electricity sources. Domestic fossil generation accounted for less than 1%. The imported electricity’s generation mix is not specified, so imports cannot be classified as entirely low-carbon or fossil-based.

Is Electricity Growing in Namibia?

Namibia’s electricity consumption per person remained well below its historical peak in 2023, rather than showing sustained growth to new highs. Consumption reached 1,566 kWh per person, about 307 kWh—or 16%—below the 2014 record of 1,873 kWh. Domestic low-carbon generation was around 624 kWh per person, roughly 310 kWh—or a third—below its 1991 record of 934 kWh. These shortfalls are concerning: expanding clean electricity supply is important for electrification, economic development and future demand, including from AI. However, comparisons with historical records alone do not establish whether consumption rose or fell in the latest year.

Suggestions

Namibia should build on solar’s already substantial contribution by expanding both large solar installations and distributed systems, supported by stronger grids and electricity storage. Sunny, dry regions offer useful examples: Chile generates about 24% of its electricity from solar, while the US state of Nevada gets roughly a third from it. Wind can complement this expansion, with Morocco generating about 20% of its electricity from wind and Uruguay almost a third. Namibia should also consider nuclear electricity, including regional cooperation, drawing lessons from places such as the United Arab Emirates, where nuclear supplies 20% of generation, and France, where it provides about two-thirds. Together, solar, wind and nuclear could increase clean electricity availability and reduce dependence on fossil-based electricity and its associated emissions and air pollution.

History

Namibia’s recorded low-carbon electricity history has been dominated by fluctuating hydropower output. In the mid-to-late 1990s, annual hydro changes ranged from declines of 0.2–0.3 TWh to gains of 0.4–0.5 TWh. The early 2000s brought smaller fluctuations, followed by a 0.3 TWh increase in 2005. During the 2010s, several hydro gains of about 0.2 TWh were interrupted by declines, including 0.4 TWh in 2018 and 0.2 TWh in 2019. Solar provided a welcome 0.3 TWh increase in 2019. Hydropower then rose by 0.6 TWh in 2020, fell by a combined 0.7 TWh over 2021–2022, and recovered by 0.5 TWh in 2023. This uneven record reinforces the importance of sustained expansion across multiple clean electricity sources.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade