Namibia questions Kudu, but supply concerns persist

Finance minister Calle Schlettwein is caught between debt concerns and political pressures as he argues the case against developing the Kudu gas field in a debate that has pitted the ruling Swapo party’s patronage networks against financial prudence.Following mines and energy minister Obeth Kandjoze’s decision in June to cancel the Xaris standby power plant as a result of a doubling in the price tag, President Hage Geingob tasked Schlettwein to find a solution to a projected 250MW shortfall in electricity supply in 2016.