Also known as: ECB · Electricity Control Board of Namibia
Electricity Control Board — regulator approving electricity tariffs and managing generation licensing and infrastructure compliance across Namibia's power sector.
News reports
Order a long-term news report on Electricity Control Board
Every mention in the Namibian press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.
Key points drawn from coverage. Tap a point to see the original sentence.
Informanté
Electricity Control Board introduced ban on electricity disconnections on Fridays and weekends
“The new regulations prohibit licensees from disconnecting electricity supply to the public without prior notice, while disconnections on Fridays and weekends have been banned under new rules introduced by the Electricity Control Board (ECB).”
Electricity Control Board licence conditions for small projectsNew Era
The Electricity Control Board has launched a new project to develop tailored licence conditions for small, embedded generation projects
“The Electricity Control Board (ECB) has launched a new project to develop tailored licence conditions for small, embedded generation projects of up to 2 megawatts (MW) and pilot initiatives involving emerging technologies, including green hydrogen.”
ECB streamlines licensing for new powerThe Namibian
Electricity Control Board has advised the ministry to approve the facilities
“The ECB has advised the ministry to approve the facilities, which include a mix of diesel and solar photovoltaic generation intended for own consumption, off-grid use and mining supply.”
Spotlight on six new power-generation projectsThe Namibian
Electricity Control Board convened a national stakeholder workshop at Rundu on Monday
“Policymakers, regulators, utilities, and farmers confronted the pressing reality of rising electricity costs at a national stakeholder workshop convened by the Electricity Control Board (ECB) at Rundu, Kavango East region, on Monday.”
Energy costs threaten Namibia’s green schemes, calls for solutionsThe Namibian
Electricity Control Board has been developing since last year a draft Green Hydrogen Bill yet to be tabled in Parliament
“One of the stumbling blocks is the lack of a legal framework, with a draft Green Hydrogen Bill under development by the Electricity Control Board since last year yet to be tabled in Parliament.”
Slow walk to deliver GH2 talk in NamibiaA Windhoek cashier earning N$1,900–N$2,500 monthly says low wages trap workers in poverty despite employment. With inflation at 4.4%, rising transport and fuel costs, and unemployment at 36.9%, Namibia's working poor struggle to afford food, rent, and schooling.
12 October 2026 · The Namibian →
A Windhoek cashier earning N$1,900–N$2,500 monthly says low wages trap workers in poverty despite employment. With inflation at 4.4%, rising transport and fuel costs, and unemployment at 36.9%, Namibia's working poor struggle to afford food, rent, and schooling.
12 October 2026 · The Namibian →
Deputy Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy Gaudentia Kröhne has called for affordable and reliable electricity to drive Namibia's industrial growth, speaking at the launch of NamPower's Integrated Strategic Business Plan 2026–2030.
30 September 2026 · The Namibian →
Namibia's headline inflation reached 5.0% in August, the highest in two and a half years, driven primarily by transport inflation accelerating to 13.2% after the Government reinstated fuel levies. Simonis Storm has raised its full-year inflation forecast to between 4.3% and 4.6%, citing continued pressure from rising fuel prices and international oil pressures.
17 September 2026 · Informanté →
Eight Katutura residents lost their High Court case challenging Windhoek City Council's practice of estimating monthly water use for billing purposes when meter readings are not taken. Judge Nate Ndauendapo found that the Municipality of Windhoek Water Supply Regulations of 1996 permit the city to estimate consumption during months without meter readings, and that the city reverses charges when subsequent readings show customers were over-billed.
9 September 2026 · The Namibian →
Young entrepreneur Fatima Nehemia describes how rising food prices, fuel costs, electricity tariffs, and housing expenses leave her and thousands of other Namibians with little left to save or invest despite earning an income. While Namibia's economy records growth, consumers report that salaries are not keeping pace with mounting daily expenses.
9 September 2026 · New Era →
The City of Windhoek has announced a 3.6% average electricity tariff increase for households, businesses and institutions, effective 1 September 2026, following ECB approval. The adjustment aims to support maintenance and improvement of the municipality's electricity infrastructure.
2 September 2026 · New Era →
The Electricity Control Board, with EU support, has launched the Embedded Generation Application Platform to streamline applications for embedded generation systems below 500 kilovolt-amperes. The ECB CEO described the platform as part of Namibia's fundamental electricity sector transformation, reflecting growing confidence in the country's energy future and supporting national goals for energy security and diversification.
2 September 2026 · Informanté →
The Electricity Control Board reports that Namibia's high-voltage backbone operated by NamPower is well maintained and reliable, but distribution networks delivering power to homes and businesses need improvement, according to findings in the 2024/2025 National Electricity Infrastructure Status Report.
25 August 2026 · Informanté →
The Electricity Control Board's 2024/25 infrastructure report finds that regional electricity distributors run electricity distribution networks better than local and regional councils, with concerns identified particularly in areas where councils manage distribution rather than dedicated companies.
25 August 2026 · The Namibian →
The Electricity Control Board has warned it will revoke electricity distribution licences from underperforming municipalities and regional councils and transfer networks to operators with proven capacity, following an audit that found widespread non-compliance across Namibia's power infrastructure. The audit of nine distribution licensees found most networks rated poor due to inadequate safety code implementation and substandard maintenance, with ||Kharas, Hardap, and Omaheke regions carrying the highest compliance risk.
25 August 2026 · The Namibian →
An Electricity Control Board audit of Namibia's electricity distribution infrastructure found that most regions have poor infrastructure, with //Kharas, Hardap and Omaheke facing high risk of continued non-compliance. Only Khomas and Otjozondjupa regions were classified as satisfactory.
25 August 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
Paulus Mulunga has been appointed chairperson of the Renewable Energy Industry Association of Namibia (REIAoN) and pledges to shift the association from advocacy to coordinated action, establishing specialised task forces focused on solar PV, net metering, IPPs, electric mobility, green hydrogen, manufacturing and government engagement.
25 August 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
A National Unity Democratic Organisation MP has called for an independent audit into a series of fatal electrocution incidents in the electricity sector, citing repeated workplace deaths at regional distributors and claiming eight fatalities have occurred in the sector over the past four years.
7 August 2026 · The Namibian →
The Electricity Control Board has renewed a moratorium on granting generation licences for electricity export purposes, effective from 5 September 2025 for 40 months (until 5 January 2029) or until transmission network constraints are alleviated. The move is prompted by limited transmission capacity on interconnectors within South Africa, which constrains electricity exports from Namibia into the Southern African Power Pool.
29 July 2026 · Informanté →
Namibians report that expenses are rising faster than wages, forcing many to rely on side hustles and cash loans to survive. The squeeze is intensifying as electricity and municipal tariffs increase while workers' salaries remain stagnant.
27 July 2026 · The Namibian →
The Electricity Control Board approved a 3.7% bulk electricity tariff increase for NamPower effective 1 August 2026, raising the average bulk tariff to N$2.14/kWh. Windhoek residents, landlords and small business owners warn the increase will deepen financial pressure on households and businesses already struggling with rising living costs.
21 July 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
The Electricity Control Board approved a 3.7% bulk electricity tariff increase for NamPower effective 1 August 2026, raising the average bulk tariff from N$2.06 to N$2.14 per kilowatt-hour. Windhoek residents, landlords, and small business owners say the increase will add to financial pressure as living costs rise, with some landlords warning they may need to raise rents.
21 July 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
The Namibian government allocated N$90 million (N$50 million from the Long Run Marginal Cost Fund and N$40 million from the National Energy Fund) to cushion consumers against higher electricity tariffs. The ECB approved a 3.7% bulk tariff increase from 1 August 2026, down from NamPower's 8.4% application, bringing the average bulk tariff to N$2.14 per kWh from N$2.06 per kWh.
20 July 2026 · Informanté →
Community activists Shaun Gariseb and Sem David have questioned the City of Windhoek's 4% municipal tariff increase, arguing that residents should not pay more while informal settlements lack adequate sanitation, water, and waste services. Gariseb cited Mix Settlement's sanitation and water infrastructure shortages—including only four of six communal water taps functioning for roughly 4,000 residents—as evidence the city should improve service delivery before raising tariffs.
20 July 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
Namibia's inflation, which peaked at 4.4% in June, is expected to moderate in the second half of 2026 following fuel price cuts in July. However, economists warn that electricity tariffs, administered price increases, and food costs pose upside risks.
13 July 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
Namibia has received continental recognition for its progress in regulating distributed electricity generation through development and implementation of net metering rules and embedded generation standards. The Electricity Control Board says Namibia was identified as a leading country in the GET.transform Distributed Generation Programme and positioned as a benchmark for other African countries.
10 July 2026 · The Namibian →
City of Windhoek employees have been suspended pending disciplinary proceedings over accusations of manipulating the municipality's billing system. The municipality declined to disclose the number of suspended staff, citing labour confidentiality, though ratepayers' association says some have been suspended for about two years and has called for release of a Deloitte forensic audit of the billing system.
6 July 2026 · The Namibian →
Community activists demand the government repair collapsing water and sewer networks in underserved neighbourhoods before implementing prepaid metering. The minister of urban and rural development has acknowledged that bulk infrastructure, especially sewer reticulation, is aging under population pressure, and said the ministry is engaging local authorities to prioritize upgrades while prepaid metering implementation is underway in nine towns.
15 June 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
Namibia Power Corporation has asked the Electricity Control Board to intervene in efforts to recover N$1 billion owed by local state entities and Angola's power utility for electricity. NamPower says 14 local authorities have breached repayment arrangements totalling about N$635.3 million, and prolonged non-payment could undermine the security of the country's electricity supply.
12 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Recent oil and gas discoveries in the Orange Basin, with an over 80% exploration success rate, position Namibia to avoid reliance on imported fuel and build local refining capacity—a lesson highlighted by recent fuel price shocks tied to Middle Eastern conflicts.
5 May 2026 · The Namibian →
The African Development Bank's Electricity Regulatory Index measures how effectively African countries regulate their electricity sectors across governance, regulatory substance, and outcomes. In the 2022 ERI report, Namibia achieved a score of 0.618, placing 13th out of 43 African countries, emerging as one of Africa's most promising regulatory success stories.
29 April 2026 · The Namibian →
University of Namibia student Magdalena Ndivayele, who runs a cuca shop at Groot Aub settlement 56 kilometres south of Windhoek, installed a solar system after the City of Windhoek failed to connect the area to the national grid despite repeated promises. The solar installation has improved safety in her section and attracted more customers to her shop.
29 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Namibia Power Corporation has successfully listed a N$5 billion Domestic Medium-Term Note Programme on the Namibia Securities Exchange, enabling the utility to raise funding through various debt instruments aligned with strategic projects and sustainability goals. The listing follows a two-year preparation process and provides NamPower with flexible, cost-effective access to capital markets while supporting Namibia's energy sector expansion.
19 April 2026 · Informanté →
Namibian Cabinet approved development of a commercial cattle feedlot and livestock value chain hub at Farm Kehoro under a 25-year lease, reserved the Okoutjete Gold occurrence in Kunene from mining operations, and ordered a technical assessment of Northern Regional Electricity Distributor's infrastructure needs following recent industrial action.
14 April 2026 · New Era →
The Electricity Control Board is establishing new regulations requiring utilities to justify tariffs against actual costs, with a framework designed to incentivise efficiency while keeping prices affordable and predictable over multi-year periods. NamPower has proposed an 8.4% bulk tariff increase, though consumer analysts warn that such increases could burden low-income households already struggling with inflation.
1 April 2026 · The Namibian →