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namib times
SERVING THE COASTAL COMMUNITY SINCE 1958 NO 6751 TUESDAY 15 MAY 2018 Tel: +264 64 - 205854 / +264 64 - 461866 /Fax: +264 64 - 204813 / 064 - 461824 / Website: www.namibtimes.net
inside 420km water pipeline to transform Erongo Decrease into 300 000 hectares irrigation powerhouse in overall
crime rate
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Lamp Post blown over
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The World Group of Israeli private Erongo RED eyes lucrative to visit investors shows interest retail power supply to Floris Steenkamp mines in Erongo Region The Erongo Region is set to become the future agronomic hub of the country, following confirmation that a group of Israeli private investors is looking into constructing a second desalination plant on the coast near Wlotzkasbaken north of Swakopmund. This desalination plant will be key to feeding water into a 420 kilometre long pipeline, which will provide enough water to put as many as 300 000 hectares of land under irrigation. During his State of Israeli private inves- motion entity that was the Region Address tors to set up the set up by the Office of (SoNA) last week, desalination plant at the Governor, the the Governor of Wlotzkasbaken, the E r o n g o R e g i o n a l Erongo Clr Cleop- site where Namibia's Council and several loh a s M u t j a v i k u a first and only desali- cal authorities in the c o n f i r m e d t h e nation plant is cur- Region. The main aim Erongo Develop- rently located. of EDA is to bring inment Agency (EDA) The EDA is an um- vestment to the Region engaged a group of brella investment pro- to bolster employment Continued on page 2
Nampower's supply of bulk electricity to the vast mining sector in the Erongo Region is eroding the profitability of regional electricity distributor Erongo RED. Nampower has an agreement in place to sell electricity at bulk rates to Erongo RED which in turn generates a profit at selling electricity at retail rate to consumers.
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A mother’s love is unconditional
Erongo RED suffers the opportunity cost [the benefit lost from the next best alternative] from the fact that Nampower sells electricity directly to the mines. In his recent State of the Region Address (SoRA), the Governor of Erongo Clr Cleophas Mutjavikua acknowledged this situation and described it as Nampower's “encroachment on the mines in Erongo Region”. The Governor also outlined several other key challenges Erongo RED face. These include the high cost of upgrading bulk electricity infrastructure, pressure to bring electricity services to the people in the region at the most affordable rate, the impact of high cost of electricity to industry competitiveness and the increase in copper theft that often leads to power interruptions and cost of replacing and repairing the systems targeted by the thieves. Page 15