Mariental Solar Power Station

The Mariental Solar Power Station is a 45.5 MW (61,000 hp) solar power plant in Namibia. The project is owned and was developed by a consortium of various IPPs and the Namibian electricity utility company, NamPower.[1]

Mariental Solar Power Station
Map
CountryNamibia
Location Mariental, Hardap Region
Coordinates23°39′10″S 18°01′38″E / 23.65278°S 18.02722°E / -23.65278; 18.02722
StatusOperational
Commission dateJune 2019
OwnerAlten Energy Consortium
OperatorNamPower
Solar farm
TypeFlat-panel PV
Power generation
Nameplate capacity45.5 MW (61,000 hp)

Location

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The power station is located outside of the town of Mariental, approximately 12.5 kilometres (8 mi), southeast of the town centre, along the road to Bulwana (M29).[2]

This is approximately 238 kilometres (148 mi), north of Keetmanshoop, along the B1 highway to Vioolsdrif, at the international border with South Africa.[3]

The power station is located about 276 kilometres (171 mi), southeast of Windhoek, the capital and largest city in Namibia.[4] The geographical coordinates of Mariental Solar Power Station are 24°39'10.0"S, 18°01'38.0"E (Latitude:-24.652778, Longitude:18.027222).[5]

Overview

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The power station, which occupies about 100 hectares (250 acres) is designed to have capacity of 45.5 megawatts.[1] The power purchase agreement with the government of Namibia specifies that 37 megawatts are supplied to NamPower, for integration into the national grid.[6]

Developers

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The power station was developed by a consortium called Alten Energy Consortium (AEC). The table below illustrates the shareholding in AEC, as of June 2019.[6]

Shareholding In Alten Energy Consortium
Rank Shareholder Domicile Percentage Notes
1 Alten Renewable Energy France 51.0 [6]
2 Mangrove Namibia 12.0 [6]
3 Talyeni Investment Namibia 6.0 [6]
4 First Place Investment Namibia 12.0 [6]
5 NamPower Namibia 19.0 [6]
Total 100.00

The three Namibian investment companies are owned by women and represent Namibians, who were previously marginalised.[6]

Construction costs, and commissioning

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Construction started in 2018 and the power station was commissioned on 20 June 2019. Standard Bank of South Africa and Proparco, a subsidiary of Agence française de développement (French Development Agency), provided loans and bank guarantees for the development of this renewable energy infrastructure project.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Jean Marie Takouleu (21 June 2019). "Namibia: Alten and partners commission Mariental solar park". Afrik21.africa. Paris, France. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Road Distance Between Mariental, Namibia And Mariental Solar Power Station, Namibia" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Road Distance Between Keetmanshoop, Namibia And Mariental Solar Power Station, Namibia" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Road Distance Between Windhoek, Namibia And Mariental Solar Power Station, Namibia" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Location of Mariental Solar Power Station, Hardap Region, Namibia" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Edgar Brandt (24 June 2019). "Hardap's 37MW solar plant most productive in the world". New Era. Windhoek, Namibia. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  7. ^ Proparco (20 June 2019). "Commissioning of Namibia's Largest Solar Power Plant, Supported By Proparco". Proparco. Paris, France. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
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