News on when the Erongo Regional Office of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, which is based in Swakopmund will be inaugurated is not yet known. The offices were expected to be inaugurated last year, but this has not happened yet and have raised eyebrows.
The building have unique fixtures on its roof, called the UGE-4K vertical axis wind turbines which are used to generate power. Wind turbines are designed to produce energy across a wide range of wind speeds. Vertical axis wind turbines go one step further, harnessing winds from any direction simultaneously. These are suited for low-altitude installations, where winds are often unpredictable and varying. The building was designed to become a symbolistic part of the environment and also designed to showcase and utilise green energy sources. The Ministry of Mines Erongo Regional Office is a research centre which serves to collect information about the environment and geology of Namibia. The entrance is there for a display area with some interesting scientific information. During our previous research on the building, namib times learned that as part of the design process it was taken into consideration that the new Mines and Energy regional offices will be hosting both the mining and the energy sectors at the coast. The harvesting of the environmental energy is done on the outside of the building, catching as much sun and wind as possible in strategic positions.
Namib times attempted to get answers on when the office will be inaugurated from the Ministry of Mines and Energy’s public relations officer or communication officer, but attempts were unsuccessful. Namib times will by all means try and get an update on the building and will keep you informed on the date of inauguration and why the ministry is taking long to inaugurate the Erongo regional offices.