Namibia receives first shipment for pioneering battery energy storage project

WINDHOEK, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Namibia has received the first shipment of equipment for its 51-megawatt (MW) Omburu Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project, the country's first utility-scale battery installation as the country moves to strengthen the electricity grid and expand renewable energy use.

The shipment, according to the national utility NamPower, arrived on Tuesday at the port of Walvis Bay, and includes eight Power Conversion System (PCS) containers that will convert alternating current from the grid into direct current for charging lithium-ion batteries.

Four more containers are expected later this week, with the remaining 33 containers due before the end of the year, said NamPower in a statement.

The Omburu project, located near Omaruru in central Namibia, is designed to store 51 megawatt-hours of electricity for release during peak demand, displacing costly emergency imports and supporting intermittent solar and wind generation, it added.

NamPower signed an engineering, procurement and construction contract in December 2023 with China's Shandong Electrical Engineering & Equipment Group (SDEE) and Zhejiang Narada Power Source Co., Ltd.

The project is expected to be completed and commissioned in the second quarter of 2026, according to the statement.

A press release from SDEE said the project will "enable NamPower to cost-effectively manage energy demand and supply" while also ensuring supply security. Enditem