Namibia government rejects electricity grid privatisation
Minister Modestus Amutse stated that public ownership is key to regulating tariffs and protecting national security.
Namibia’s government will not privatise the nation’s electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure, Minister of Mines and Energy Modestus Amutse announced in October 2026. The Ministry of Mines and Energy argues that public ownership of the grid is essential for controlling connection prices and routes, safeguarding a strategic national asset, and aligning grid capacity with electricity generation.
Minister Amutse told the National Assembly that retaining public control is necessary to regulate tariffs and prevent prices from becoming “uncontrollable” if the network were privately owned. He described electricity as a national security asset, emphasizing that public ownership ensures transmission capacity matches generation needs. This approach is compatible with private investment in new generation and regulatory work by the Electricity Control Board.
The government plans to expand low-cost renewable generation, storage, and regional interconnection on the publicly controlled grid. NamPower’s current projects and the Namibia–Angola Baynes Hydropower Project exemplify this strategy. Electricity is a fundamental input for all economic activities, including mining, fishing, agriculture, manufacturing, and the digital economy.
Why it mattersNamibians will be affected by how the government owns and governs the electricity wires, shaping the cost of living and doing business.