News flash
- Namibia’s national power utility, NamPower, has officially commissioned the 132/66/33 kV Sekelduin Substation near Swakopmund—Africa’s first fully digital substation.
- Completed at a cost of approximately US$22.6 million (N$394 million), the project represents a significant milestone in advancing energy infrastructure and grid modernization within the region.
According to NamPower, the integration of the Sekelduin Substation into the national transmission network will facilitate coastal load growth, enhance grid reliability, and support the long-term resilience of the Erongo region’s electricity supply.
The substation incorporates advanced digital design principles consistent with the IEC 61850 standard and employs a process bus system architecture. It utilizes mixed technology switchgear (hybrid AIS/GIS) and 33 kV metal-enclosed GIS technology, with ACTOM serving as the principal supplier and systems integrator. Power is supplied from the Kuiseb Substation via two parallel 132 kV transmission lines, providing N-1 redundancy and minimizing vulnerability to single-contingency failures along key coastal transmission corridors.
NamPower emphasized that the use of process and station bus systems substantially reduces copper cabling, facilitates remote monitoring, enhances fault detection accuracy, and strengthens cyber-secure SCADA integration. Furthermore, the digital configuration provides a foundation for the future incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning applications in predictive maintenance and operational optimization.
Image credit: Nampower
The facility comprises an indoor switching station equipped with compact gas-insulated switchgear for the 132 kV and 66 kV circuits, while the 33 kV section employs fixed-pattern GIS. The entire installation is housed within a purpose-built structure engineered in collaboration with SCE Consulting Engineers and TDx Power, and constructed by Nexus Building Contractors. The design specifically accounts for the corrosive coastal environment characteristic of the Namibian shoreline.
NamPower has described the Sekelduin Substation as a “continental first” conceived, engineered, and delivered by African professionals. The project serves as a model for scalable, cyber-secure, and AI-ready substation development across the continent, illustrating a pivotal step toward the digital transformation of Africa’s power infrastructure.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
