NamPower Commissions Africa’s First Fully Digital Substation at Sekelduin

NamPower Commissions Africa’s First Fully Digital Substation at Sekelduin. NamPower has officially commissioned and energised the new Sekelduin Substation, located east of Swakopmund, on 24 September 2025. The facility is Africa’s first fully digital substation, marking a milestone for the continent’s power sector. The project represents an investment of N$394 million.

The indoor 132/66/33 kV substation enhances the NamPower transmission network by unlocking coastal load growth, improving reliability, and future-proofing the Erongo region grid. It introduces digital technologies compliant with IEC 61850 standards, including process bus applications, which reduce copper cabling, improve fault detection, and strengthen cyber-secure SCADA integration.

Sekelduin is supplied via two 132 kV overhead power lines from the existing Kuiseb Substation, approximately 35 km away. This dual-feed design improves N-1 robustness, reducing exposure to single contingency failures across key coastal nodes.

Technically, the facility integrates Mixed Technology Switchgear (MTS) with compact hybrid AIS/GIS at high-voltage levels and metal-enclosed GIS at 33 kV. The digital design incorporates process and station bus systems alongside conventional hard-wired protection, creating a hybrid architecture that ensures both reliability and adaptability. ACTOM served as the principal equipment supplier and integrator, with SCE Consulting Engineers, TDx Power, and Nexus Building Contractors contributing to the project delivery.

By employing IEC 61850-based protection systems with GOOSE communication and sampled values, the substation improves remote asset monitoring and lays the groundwork for future AI and machine learning integration. Housing the high-voltage equipment indoors protects it from the corrosive coastal environment, further extending asset lifespan.

NamPower has positioned Sekelduin Substation as a benchmark for digital grid infrastructure—engineered and built entirely by Africans. The facility establishes a scalable model for AI-ready, cyber-secure substations that enhance energy resilience and support Namibia’s long-term growth.