Namibia, Chinese firms sign pact for its biggest solar plant

Namibia’s state-owned electricity provider signed a pact with Chinese companies to build what will be the country’s biggest solar photovoltaic plant. 

China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Corp. and Zhejiang CHINT New Energy Development Co. will engineer and build the 100-megawatt Rosh Pinah plant that’s estimated to cost about 1.6 billion Namibian dollars ($89 million) and will help the nation become self-sufficient for its power needs, Nampower said in an emailed statement Monday. 

A loan from German state-owned development bank KfW will cover almost 80% of the cost, with the rest coming from Nampower’s balance sheet, it said. 

The company estimates that the project will take about 18 months to build, with commercial operations starting in the second quarter of 2026.