Southern Africa’s electricity market is one of the most connected in the developing world. Twelve countries, including Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, exchange electricity through the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), a regional market created in 1995 to coordinate cross-border supply and planning.
Shared market presents shared constraints when shortages in one system spill into another. South Africa generates about 80% of its electricity from coal, and breakdowns at ageing coal stations have triggered repeated rounds of nationwide load-shedding. Zambia offers a different fragility as almost all the electricity here comes from hydropower – drought has forced the utility to plan power imports for a shortfall that authorities put at about 700 MW in 2024.
Namibia’s position reflects both the challenge and the opportunity. About 60% of the country’s electricity is imported, mainly from South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Installed capacity is around 650 MW, anchored by the Ruacana Hydropower Plant, which provides roughly 70% of local generation. The government has set a target of 879 MW of installed capacity by 2025. These figures show how closely Namibia’s power system is linked to the wider region, where dependable blocks of energy are traded every day.
Nuclear power offers a realistic way to strengthen Namibia’s role within that regional network. It provides baseload electricity – continuous output that runs day and night and does not depend on weather conditions. That reliability is valuable inside Namibia and across the SAPP. A firm block of clean power in Namibia would reduce hours when imports are essential and create hours when exports are possible. It would also make it easier to absorb more solar and wind on both sides of the border, because a steady anchor helps balance variable output.
Namibia’s demand centres are scattered with mining operations in Erongo, coastal industry near Walvis Bay and urban growth around Windhoek. Small modular reactors would suit this layout because they can be deployed as separate units close to consumers and expanded gradually as demand increases. They could power industrial clusters directly and reduce the transmission losses that come with long-distance supply from a single site. Their modular design would also let Namibia scale generation as new industrial zones emerge.
Nuclear energy is not an alternative to renewables but a foundation that allows them to grow. Namibia can continue adding solar and wind while building a baseload source that keeps the system stable when the weather does not cooperate. In a regional market, predictability is as important as capacity. Buyers prefer contracts they can count on. Sellers benefit when they can offer power at set times, in set quantities, regardless of season. Baseload nuclear generation enables exactly that kind of trade.
A stable supply of clean electricity would also reshape Namibia’s economic and diplomatic position in southern Africa. Industries that rely on continuous power, including mineral processing, chemical production and advanced manufacturing, could expand with lower risk and more predictable costs. The same reliability underpins new export opportunities.
Namibia can develop its nuclear ambitions within established international frameworks that emphasise safety, openness and regulatory readiness. Cooperation with experienced suppliers such as Russia’s Rosatom and other major vendors under IAEA guidance would ensure that nuclear power complements, rather than replaces, continued investment in renewables and grid development.
The next steps would involve feasibility studies, local skills development and transparent regulation – all prerequisites for investor confidence and regional cooperation. If Namibia meets those conditions, nuclear power could anchor a clean-energy system that serves not only national goals but also the shared growth of southern Africa.
Southern Africa’s shared market depends on trust in each member’s ability to supply electricity when it is needed most. By adding a clean and continuous source of generation to its mix, Namibia can reinforce that trust and help stabilise a network that millions rely on. The reward extends beyond national energy security: it is the opportunity to make Namibia the backbone of a stronger regional grid – the country that turns southern Africa’s clean-energy ambitions into dependable power and steady growth.
