The Electricity Control Board (ECB) has renewed the moratorium on the granting of generation licences for electricity export purposes until January 2029.

The decision was approved by the Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy on and takes effect from 5 September 2025 for a period of 40 months, or until transmission network constraints are resolved.

The renewal is in accordance with the Electricity Act, 2007.  

In a statement, the ECB's Head of Stakeholder Engagement and Communications, Nelson Ashipala, explained that the Modified Single Buyer (MSB) market framework currently allows private generators to develop generation capacity in Namibia for electricity export purposes. 

"We have seen that there is a limited transmission capacity on the interconnectors within neighbouring South Africa, so what this means is that a moratorium has now come into effect, and we are saying that at least for now there will be no export purposes."

Ashipala says this ongoing transmission constraint means that granting additional generation licences for export purposes at this time could create regulatory obligations the network is not yet able to support. 

Hence, the renewal of the moratorium is therefore a responsible and prudent regulatory measure to protect the integrity of the Electricity Supply Industry (ESI) and the interests of existing and prospective licence holders.

He says the ECB, in collaboration with NamPower, is currently assessing the available transmission capacity and is therefore discouraging the submission of new licence applications for export purposes until further notice.

The first moratorium on the granting of electricity generation licences for export purposes in Namibia was originally imposed effective from 5 March 2024 to 5 September 2025 for a period of 18 months.