Share of Sources of Electricity for Namibia
Namibia's electricity generation is heavily dependent on the Ruacana hydroelectric plant, which relies on rainfall in the Angolan highlands. Future energy security is threatened by potential El Niño-induced droughts in the region.
Why it matters
Understanding the correlation between regional climate patterns and hydroelectric output is critical for Namibia's energy independence and infrastructure planning.
Namibia has always been a net electricity importer, mainly from South Africa, with the local generation share largely determined by Ruacana.
Namibia produced 51.6% of its own electricity in 2025 and 52.2% in the first five months of this year, just above the long-run January to May average of 50.1%.
That average can be misleading, as in the past five years alone, Namibia’s average local generation ranged from 25% in 2021 to a recent high of 62.9% in 2025.
Ruacana has no reservoir of its own, so it generates only when there is water coming down the Kunene River, and roughly 87% of that river’s catchment lies in Angola. Namibian rainfall is close to irrelevant to it. Angolan rain falls between November and April and reaches the station with a lag, which is why the chart peaks every year between February and May and then declines through winter.
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