Windhoek electricity consumers will receive approximately 37.6 units of electricity for every N$100 purchased from 1 August 2026, down from about 39 units previously, following the Electricity Control Board’s (ECB) approval of a 3.7% bulk tariff increase.
According to the ECB, City of Windhoek customers will continue to receive the highest number of electricity units for every N$100 purchased among the country’s major electricity distributors, despite the reduction in purchasing power.
Customers in Windhoek will receive 37.60 units, compared to 36.35 units for NORED customers, 35.52 units for CENORED customers, 33.89 units for Keetmanshoop Municipality customers and 31.11 units for Erongo RED customers.
The new tariffs follow the ECB’s approval of a moderated 3.7% increase in NamPower’s bulk electricity tariff for the 2026/27 financial year after the utility had applied for an 8.4% increase.
The regulator said the approved increase, which is below Namibia’s current 4.4% inflation rate, is not expected to place additional upward pressure on inflation.
“The approved average NamPower bulk tariff increase of 3.7%, which is below the current inflation rate of 4.4%, is not expected to place upward pressure on inflation. The increase is thus estimated to result in an average 3.7% increase in distributors’ end-consumer tariffs. The estimated electricity units that consumers will receive for a N$100 purchase after the tariff adjustment vary across distributors. CENORED customers will receive 35.52kWh, City of Windhoek customers 37.60kWh, Erongo RED customers 31.11kWh, Keetmanshoop Municipality customers 33.89kWh, and NORED customers 36.35kWh,” ECB Chief Executive Officer Robert Kahimise said.
Kahimise said the ECB Board had initially approved a 4.8% increase before it was reduced to 3.7% through a N$90 million government relief package.
The relief package comprises N$50 million from the Long Run Marginal Cost Fund and N$40 million from the National Energy Fund, reducing the increase ultimately passed on to consumers.
Under the approved tariff structure, NamPower’s average bulk tariff will increase from N$2.06 per kWh to N$2.14 per kWh with effect from 1 August 2026. Had NamPower’s full application been approved, the average bulk tariff would have risen to N$2.23 per kWh.
“Following engagements with the Honourable Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy, and through a combined relief allocation of N$90 million, comprising N$50 million from the Long Run Marginal Cost Fund and N$40 million from the National Energy Fund, the increase was further reduced to 3.7%, which is the increase to be passed on to customers. Accordingly, the average bulk tariff will adjust from N$2.06 per kWh to N$2.14 per kWh with effect from 1 August 2026,” Kahimise said.
He said the tariff decision sought to balance the need to keep electricity affordable while ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of Namibia’s electricity supply industry, adding that financially viable utilities remain critical to maintaining reliable electricity supply and supporting economic growth.
The ECB also confirmed that social tariffs will remain unchanged, with electricity distributors directed to maintain existing support measures for vulnerable consumers.
