Namibia joins grid-wheeled solar trend

October 02, 2025

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Namibia has commissioned its first renewable energy wheeling project, accelerating a growing trend in the African power sector. Under the deal, gold producer B2Gold Namibia will receive 10 MW of solar power from a plant located 20 km away. It joins others like South Africa in using this framework, setting a model for future public–private power partnerships.

  • Wheeling allows IPPs to sell electricity directly to large users by moving power through the public grid. Instead of relying only on on-site plants, customers can source clean power from anywhere with the grid and pay a set fee for its use.

  • South Africa pioneered wheeling on the Eskom grid. Zambia has piloted it with the Copperbelt Energy Corporation, while Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria are reviewing frameworks.

  • Our take: Wheeling solves one of the biggest barriers (land availability) to corporate solar adoption… Read more (2 min)

Independent renewable energy company Qair has officially launched construction of a 5.8 MW floating PV (FPV) plant in Seychelles, just a month after financial close. Though FPV adoption in Africa is still limited, momentum is growing. Last month, Zimbabwe secured funding for feasibility studies for a 1 GW plant, set to be the second largest in Africa.

  • Globally, floating solar has expanded from a niche to over 5 GW in less than a decade, led by China and India. Africa is positioned to tap this innovation using its vast water bodies and reservoirs.

  • Beyond Seychelles, Kenya is exploring FPV at the Masinga and Kiambere dams. Uganda is considering Lake Victoria, while Egypt is advancing plans for a 5 GW project on Lake Nasser — it would be Africa’s largest.

  • Our take: Floating solar should go beyond supplying grids by providing energy for irrigation and water treatment plants… Read more (2 min)

Independent power producer EDF Power Solutions tops this week’s job postings, with 15 new roles open for its utility projects in South Africa. The company has also begun construction on one of the three battery energy storage projects it was awarded in the first round of South Africa’s battery energy storage programme.

  • Our list includes over 160 positions. Sales roles, which dominated last week's listings, remain in high demand, particularly in SA. Other sought-after functions are human resources, O&M, finance experts, and draughtsmen.

  • Following Ignite Power’s recent acquisition of Engie Energy Access Africa, we expect some adjustments. Currently, Engie has two open positions in South Africa. New roles could also open in Benin, where Solar Panda is expanding.

  • Here is the full list of jobs… (2 min)

Makueni County in Kenya launches its County Energy Policy 2025

Events

🗓️ Register for the Nigeria Mining Week 2025 forum (Oct 13)

🗓️ Sign up for a webinar on the Southern Africa Power Pool (Oct 15)

🗓️ Participate in the Solar & Storage Live Cape Town 2025 event (Oct 16)

Various 

💵 President Mwinyi kicks off Zanzibar’s $8.4M power stabilisation project

🌀 Africa’s biggest wind farm, L. Turkana, returns to service post grid restoration

💡 SA vows to speed up delivery on renewable energy masterplan objectives

Seen on LinkedIn 

Andre Nepgen, Head of Discovery Green, says, “We’re at the starting line of a liberalised, competitive electricity market.”