OLC Arandis Solar Energy Power Plant Construction officially launched – De

solar fields

OLC Arandis Solar Energy Power Plant Construction officially launched – De

Project Company OLC Arandis Solar Energy – a Joint Venture between O&L Energy – a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group -, its strategic partner Cronimet Mining Power Solutions GmbH and the Women of Destiny Trust – on Thursday, 24 November officially launched the construction of a 3 megawatt (MW) solar energy power plant at Arandis, that will supply electricity to ErongoRED – leading electricity supplier to the Erongo Region.

Expected to be completed by, and in operation as from June 2017, the ground breaking ceremony was officiated by the Governor of the Erongo Region, Cleophas Mutjavikua who during his keynote address emphasized on the value this project will bring to the table not only for the Erongo Region, but for the nation at large. Mutjavikua: “Today’s activity is evident of the possibilities with great partnerships. Innovation is key to the future of this country’s economy, and breakthrough leadership is critical in driving this nation to higher heights and stronger economic growth – not only for the benefit of the country coffers, but also for that of each and every Namibian. This region, and the country at large is hungry for more growth and development, and there is so much more room for more. Hence, initiatives such as the one we are launching today, is highly valued, welcomed and appreciated – also in light of our journey towards being less dependent on imports, and producing everything we need, right here on Namibian soil. Self-provision of especially basic day-to-day necessities, which also includes electricity supply will make such a huge difference in the future of this nation. And the sooner we get to a place where we are no longer dependent on other suppliers beyond our borders, the faster we will be able to take complete control of where we are headed. This 3 Megawatt solar power plant is a big step in that direction. I look forward to even brighter days and a future embraced with even more innovations.”

O&L Group Executive Chairman, Sven Thieme, during his remarks, highlighted on the projects so far embarked on by O&L in its quest to adopt and adjust to renewable energy, which include O&L Energy’s subsidiary, Organic Energy Solutions harvesting invader bush to produce wood chips which in turn create heat energy for clients such as NBL and Ohorongo Cement; NBL’s investment of N$53 million into a Biomass boiler to reduce reliance on HFO; Mariental Bio Energy which is a partnership between O&L Energy, Namibia Dairies and CAE – and is constructing Namibia’s first Biogas plant in Mariental, and now the new Arandis 3 MW solar power plant, amongst others. Thieme: “We are relentless in our pursuit of creating a sustainable future for all and therefore passionately embrace this wonderful opportunity which also positively contributes to our vision metric of reducing our carbon footprint by 20% in 2019. Our aim is to contribute to improving Namibia’s energy situation and to increase the supply of renewable energy generated locally, decreasing our dependency on electricity imports from neighbouring countries. We are thrilled to have found in CRONIMET Mining Power Solutions, a Namibian partner that shares our vision and enables us to reach our goals by contributing their experience, technical expertise in PV, and their commercial competency when managing the development process.”

For the Mayor of Arandis, Cllr. Risto Kapendah, the Arandis solar power plant is testimony to the potential of the town, and promising of a bright future for the Arandis community. Kapendah: “We are about to witness yet another milestone in the life of this catalystic town of Arandis, as she is about to inject her own power contribution to the main grid through our regional distributor ErongoRed. Thus, Arandis is geared to make her contribution in energizing and giving light and life to our entire nation. Arandis is on the move!”

Tobias Nambala, ErongoRed Chairperson of the Board of Directors presented a project brief on the plant and shed light on what exactly it will mean to ErongoRed and the region at large. Nambala: “This plant is expected to save Erongo RED an estimated cost of N$127 million over the life span of the plant which is 25 years and I must say that this is a significant saving for Erongo RED. All this are part of our proactive efforts to address continuous electricity cost increases and cushioning the impact thereof to our customers. I wish to applaud the OLC Arandis Solar Energy team for their interest in investing in our region in bringing renewable energy to the region. At Erongo RED we are committed to diversify our energy mix in order to ensure that the electricity consumers reap benefits emanating from renewable energy. We are well aware that electricity supply is vital in stimulating and accelerating development. We also know that reliable supply and distribution of electricity remains and will continue to be an important component in boosting the economic development in the region. I am very pleased that we have reached this point where OLC Arandis Solar Energy will start with the construction of the solar plant.”

Mutjavikua ended off by congratulating the partners, O&L Energy & Cronimet combined as OLC Arandis Solar Energy, and the Women of Destiny Trust for embarking on this initiative. Mutjavikua: “I believe this will add immensely and richly to the town of Arandis in particular, the Erongo Region, and the Namibian nation at large. We look forward to even further growth and more innovations once the construction of this plant is completed and running. And I trust this will be the beginning of even greater things coming our way.”

Note to Editor:

O&L Energy and CRONIMET Mining Power Solutions entered into a joint venture in 2015 to develop, own and operate renewable energy IPPs across Namibia. CRONIMET is a leading African PV developer and strategic investor. CRONIMET’s expertise extends along the PV project value chain, from Greenfield land development, to technical planning, IPP funding, EPC contracting and O&M Services. Beyond Namibia, CRONIMET is active throughout Africa, targeting 21 countries together with the KfW/DEG, to develop PV power plants and PPAs with public and private sectors. CRONIMET operates subsidiaries in Namibia, South Africa and Botswana and forward offices in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. For the Arandis project, CRONIMET’s Namibian subsidiary will provide turnkey EPC services. As in every country it operates, CRONIMET seeks to maximize local services value chain by train and subcontracting domestically. CRONIMET and its local subs will mount over ten thousand poly-crystalline photovoltaic (PV) panels to a horizontal single axis tracking system for a total capacity of 3.843 MW. The Arandis PV power plant will produce over 9,000 MW hours of emission free electricity for Erongo RED per year. It will be connected to ERONGO Red’s transmission station and will supply the coastal region with 25 years of electricity generated from the sun.

[minti_button link=“View More“ size=“full“ target=“_self“ lightbox=“false“ color=“color-1″ icon=““]View More[/minti_button]

Team Assistant Germany

Vera Späth

Vera is employed as Team Assistant at the O&L Nexentury office in Eschbach (Germany).

She is responsible for all office and administrative tasks, as well as for office and administrative support for the German headquarters in Starnberg.

This includes all administrative and organizational activities as well as preparatory accounting. In addition, she plans and organizes travel activities for managers and employees at the German locations and organizes corporate and team events.

Office Manager

Nathalie Schröder

With Nathalie’s extensive experience in office management, she brings knowledge and insight to the running of our O&L Nexentury Namibia Office.

She heads the administration side of the Windhoek office and all day-to-day operations.

Nathalie is also involved in the administration of the various companies that form part of O&L Nexentury Green Energy Solutions. Her duties include but are not limited to, monthly invoicing, booking of flights for the Managing Director and marketing.

Team & Project Assistant

Jenna van der Wath

Within her role as a Team and Project Assistant, Jenna performs a variety of administrative and accounting tasks.

She provides support to managers and employees and assists in managing company’s general administrative activities, which includes but is not limited to, office procurement, travel management and preparatory accounting.

Jenna supports the project team further in all administrative and organizational matters and assists with project controlling.

With her dedication and proven ability to establish and maintain excellent communication, Jenna also provides administrative support in Marketing and Project Management.

Project Assistant Germany

Michaela Hilfinger

Michaela is Project Assistant at the O&L Nexentury office in Eschbach, Germany.

Her role involves providing support to the project team at various stages of commercial Solar PV projects in Germany. Michaela’s duties also include preparing project overview presentations and documentation for approval processes and project permits.

With a background in architecture and civil & structural engineering, Michaela has gained extensive experience in project management, working on various commercial and residential projects in Germany, South Africa, and Switzerland.

Accountant

Saima Iwata

Saima oversees and manages the accounting function of the group entities, which includes processing financial information, ensuring compliance with IFRS, reporting to corporate finance, compliance with tax authority, and managing the banking functions. She also provides support to the financial director.

Saima is a qualified chartered accountant with over seven years of experience in the finance and auditing sectors. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Accounting Sciences (CTA/Honors) as well as an Advanced Diploma in Accounting Sciences from the University of South Africa, and a Bachelor of Accounting Degree with a major in chartered accountancy from the Polytechnic of Namibia.

Junior Financial Analyst

Heather Meletzky

As a Junior Financial Analyst, Heather adds value to the Nexentury team through comprehensive financial support in all aspects of the project management chain, with a primary focus on extensive financial and investment analyses of renewable energy projects.

She collects, collates, and analyzes data in order to develop and optimize financial models/projections.

She has a background in corporate banking and project finance, and holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics from Stellenbosch University.

Operations and Maintenance Technician

Eliaser Nikodemus

As an O&M Technician, Eliaser is accountable for overseeing the operations and maintenance of all existing projects.

Additionally, he offers support to the Technical Manager regarding new and upcoming projects.

Eliaser has prior experience …………… and holds an N3 level National Certificate and National Trade Diploma in Electrical General from the Namibia Institute of Mining and Technology (NMT).

Draftsman

Lonwabo Ntshiba

As Junior Draftsman at O&L Nexentury SA (Pty) Ltd, Lonwabo supports our technical team and assists in O&M services, yield assessments and the drawing of PV plant layouts.

He holds a national diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and started his BTech in Mechanical Engineering at the University of South Africa. With previous trainings in Engineering at the Two Rivers Platinum Mine and the Grinaker-Ita Mining, Lonwabo has built his background in the renewable engineering and mining industry.

Technical Manager

Peter-John Christiane

As Project Manager for SADC region-based projects, Peter-John is responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of project implementation.

His role also includes assisting in the engineering and design of plant during feasibility stage as well as overseeing of the operations and maintenance for existing solar plants under O&L Nexentury management.

Peter-John holds an MScEng degree from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa after which he gained his relevant industry experience through working in the renewable energy sector as well as working as a registered Professional Engineer for a Namibian-based Consulting Engineering firm.

Senior Project Advisor

Luc Tanoh

Bringing over 30 years of experience in the Telecom, IT, Power Utility and Engineering industries throughout Africa, US and Europe to O&L Nexentury, Luc is a highly regarded Senior Executive, GSM and Energy specialist, combining significant board-level experience with in the field regional and continental leadership roles .

As Head of West Africa, Luc is responsible for business and project development throughout West Africa and the Francophone regions of Africa. He holds a Master’s Degree of Sciences in Electrical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and a Master’s Degree of Sciences in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of Berkeley in California

Technical Manager

Peter-John Christiane

As Project Manager for SADC region-based projects, Peter-John is responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of project implementation.

His role also includes assisting in the engineering and design of plant during feasibility stage as well as overseeing of the operations and maintenance for existing solar plants under O&L Nexentury management.

Peter-John holds an MScEng degree from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa after which he gained his relevant industry experience through working in the renewable energy sector as well as working as a registered Professional Engineer for a Namibian-based Consulting Engineering firm.

Project Associate

Mladen Savic

Mladen is our Senior Financial Analyst and is responsible for project finance, financial modelling, project controlling and all other quantitative analyses surrounding our projects.

Mladen earned his Bachelor’s degree in the United States at Georgia State University, in the field of Economics and Finance. He moved to Germany in 2015 to pursue his Master’s degree at the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich. He joined the company in 2017 as a working student, where he was first exposed to the renewable energy sector and project finance.

He graduated from Ludwig-Maximilian University in 2018 with a Master of Science degree in the field of Economics. Mladen has since deepened his skillsets in the areas of project finance and financial modelling enabling him to grow into his current role at O&L Nexentury.

Senior Project Advisor

Luc Tanoh

Bringing over 30 years of experience in the Telecom, IT, Power Utility and Engineering industries throughout Africa, US and Europe to O&L Nexentury, Luc is a highly regarded Senior Executive, GSM and Energy specialist, combining significant board-level experience with in the field regional and continental leadership roles .

As Head of West Africa, Luc is responsible for business and project development throughout West Africa and the Francophone regions of Africa. He holds a Master’s Degree of Sciences in Electrical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and a Master’s Degree of Sciences in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of Berkeley in California

Financial Director

Wilko Duvel

As head of our financial department, Wilko is responsible for the finance function at Nexentury Group.

Prior to joining O&L Nexentury, Wilko was the Head of Finance at Namibia Dairies. In this role he formed part of the senior leadership team for Namibia Dairies, and was therefore part of the strategic decision-making team affecting the long-term direction, actions and viability of the company as a whole. During his tenure at Namibia Dairies, he has successfully improved the workings, structure and compliance within the procurement department.

As a registered Chartered Accountant, he has audited companies within the insurance, agricultural, retail and manufacturing industries. Gaining international experience in a secondment to PWC Zürich, Switzerland has provided him with broad exposure and experience in the financial sector.

Technical Director

Dr. Georg Wirth

As head of our technical department, Georg is responsible for the coordination of the technical feasibility studies, engineering analyses and procurement as well as for the development of hybrid PV, Diesel and energy storage system designs.

Prior to joining O&L Nexentury, Georg led the photovoltaic grid integration team at the University of Applied Sciences Munich’s solar energy lab since 2010. During his four year stint, Georg managed a number of complex grid stability research projects outsourced to his lab by companies such as E.ON, General Electric, Siemens, and research institutions including the Technical University of Munich, DLR, and the Fraunhofer Institute.

Georg’s educational background started with a training at Siemens across the electrical engineering division. Georg achieved his Ph.D. Degree from the Carl von Ossietzky University at Oldenburg on modelling the meteorological effects of grid distribution physics under high photovoltaic penetration scenarios.

General Manager: Corporate & Finance

Sabrina Steinhauser

Sabrina heads our corporate team at O&L Nexentury. Committed to ensure a steady organizational development, Sabrina manages O&L Nexentury’s international subsidiaries and teams as well as the coordination of international projects.

She therefore directs the company group’s operations on a daily basis, including overseeing strategic execution in critical areas such as marketing, workforce development, project management, accounting, finance, and business administration. As a member of the board, Sabrina is involved in forward-thinking business stewardship and roadmaps.

Sabrina earned a M.A. in International Business with focus in Marketing from the University of Applied Science in Kufstein, Austria and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economical Geography from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich.

Executive Director

Nkosi Ncube

Nkosi serves as O&L Nexentury South Africa’s Executive Director.

He gathered extensive experience in the sourcing and implementation of financial transactions while working for financial institutions and specialist advisory boutiques including Old Mutual Specialised Finance, Nedbank and Basis Points Capital.

Prior to his directorship at O&L Nexentury, Nkosi was a co-Director at SOLEA Renewables (Pty) Ltd (SA), a subsidiary of SOLEA Capital. Nkosi has gained years on domestic development and project execution experience in the renewable energy sector and continues to drive new project development opportunities for O&L Nexentury.

As Executive Director of O&L Nexentury’s South African Team, Nkosi is responsible for the organization of the corporate management, project coordination as well as financing in our South African subsidiary.

Geschäftsführer

Steffen Kammerer

Unser Geschäftsführer Steffen ist neben seinem allgemeinen Managementschwerpunkt für das Transaktions- und Projektmanagement, die Projektfinanzierung und die Strukturierung von Energieprojekten weltweit verantwortlich.

Der Wirtschaftsjurist mit Abschlüssen an der HFWU Nürtingen und der Wirtschaftsuniversität Bratislava begann seine Karriere bei der internationalen Unternehmensberatung Ernst & Young im Bereich Mergers & Acquisitions mit Spezialisierung auf Finanz- und Beratungsleistungen für Banken.

Für eine internationale Investmentgesellschaft leitete Steffen eine beträchtliche Anzahl von Transaktionen und Finanzierungen im Bereich der erneuerbaren Energien.

In seiner vorherigen Funktion als Mitgründer und Geschäftsführer der SOLEA Capital GmbH leitete Steffen erfolgreich die internationale Expansion der SOLEA-Gruppe nach Afrika und Australien.

Geschäftsführer

Bernd Walbaum

Bernd schloss 1980 sein Studium der Betriebswirtschaftslehre an der Universität Hamburg mit dem Diplom ab.

Nach Tätigkeiten in der Druck- und Medienbranche als Vertriebs- und Marketingleiter und Geschäftsführer in Deutschland, Großbritannien und den USA und später als Unternehmensberater bei Ernst & Young war er fünf Jahre lang Geschäftsführer bei Helion Solar, Deutschland und Solsquare, Südafrika.

Seit 2012 ist Bernd Walbaum Chief Executive Officer von O&L Energy und seit August 2020 Geschäftsführer der O&L Nexentury GmbH.

Geschäftsführer

Rollie Armstrong

Als einer unserer Geschäftsführer konzentriert sich Rollie auf die Entwicklung und Umsetzung von Wachstumschancen auf dem sich schnell entwickelnden Markt für erneuerbare Energien.

Als Mitbegründer und Geschäftsführer der Nexentury GmbH entwickelte, baute, betrieb und transferierte Rollie erfolgreich PV-Projekte in ganz Europa und Südafrika.

Als verantwortlicher Manager einer in München ansässigen Private-Equity-Gruppe führte Rollie gewinnbringende Investitionen im Bereich der erneuerbaren Energien durch. Außerdem war Rollie sechs Jahre bei Ernst & Young Deutschland als Corporate Finance und M&A Manager tätig.

Rollie hat einen MBA in Corporate Finance von der Northeastern University in Boston und einen Bachelor-Abschluss (B.Sc.) in Finanzdienstleistungen von der UNLV in Nevada.

Geschäftsführung:

Sven Thieme (Vorsitzende)

Sven Thieme schloss seine Schulausbildung an der Deutschen Hohere Privatschule Windhoek ab und erwarb 1987 das deutsche Abitur.

Später schloss er 1991 sein Studium der Wirtschaftsprüfung an der University of Cape Town, Südafrika, ab und startete bei Deloitte & Touche.

Nach dem Tod seines Großvaters und des Geschäftsführers der Ohlthaver & List Gruppe übernahm Sven Thieme im Jahr 2002 die Geschäftsführung.

Er war seit 1998 im Unternehmen tätig und hatte von 2001 bis 2002 die Geschäftsführung inne.
Darüber hinaus ist Thieme in mehreren Aufsichtsräten von Tochtergesellschaften tätig. Bevor er in das Unternehmen eintrat, arbeitete er von 1994 bis 1998 als Wirtschaftsprüfer bei Deloitte & Touche in Luxemburg.

Im Jahr 2004 war er für die Gründung der Development Bank of Namibia verantwortlich, und im Jahr 2010 war er Mitglied des Aufsichtsrats der öffentlichen Rundfunkanstalt Namibian Broadcasting Corporation. Im Jahr 2019 wurde ihm von der International University of Management (IUM) die Ehrendoktorwürde für Unternehmensführung und Unternehmertum verliehen.

In seiner Rolle als Präsident der Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI), die er seit seiner Ernennung im Jahr 2014 für drei aufeinanderfolgende Amtszeiten bis 2020 innehat, hat Sven eine wichtige Rolle bei der Unterstützung und Förderung namibischer Unternehmen gespielt und die wirtschaftliche Entwicklung sowie die Zusammenarbeit zwischen dem öffentlichen und privaten Sektor gefördert. Sven wurde die Most Distinguished Order of Namibia vom Staatschef der Republik Namibia, Dr. Hage G. Geingob, in 2014 verliehen und gilt als eine der einflussreichsten Persönlichkeiten in Namibia.

Datenschutz-Übersicht

Diese Website verwendet Cookies, damit wir dir die bestmögliche Benutzererfahrung bieten können. Cookie-Informationen werden in deinem Browser gespeichert und führen Funktionen aus, wie das Wiedererkennen von dir, wenn du auf unsere Website zurückkehrst, und hilft unserem Team zu verstehen, welche Abschnitte der Website für dich am interessantesten und nützlichsten sind.