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Leading vertically integrated Independent Power Producer

Our solutions begin at the greenfield development phase and include financing, engineering, procurement and construction, and plant operating and maintenance.

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NEXENTURY

Our History

2023

O&L Nexentury builds Germany's biggest Floating PV System - the 15MW plant installed on the Philipp Kies gravel mine lake in Germany will produce 16 GWh of green solar power, enough to supply more than 5000 households and thus relieve the atmosphere of around 11,000t of CO2 per year.

Green Hydrogen for Namibia!

O&L Nexentury builds PV system for Namibia's first green Hydrogen Pilot Project.

2023 : Another Pioneer project is on its way!

2021

O&L Nexentury goes back to it’s roots and starts project developments in the Floating and Agri PV markets in Germany.

2021 : Back to our roots

2020

We are very excited to announce that, as of August 2020, CRONIMET is part of the O&L Group, Namibia’s largest privately held group of companies. The trade name and brand, “CRONIMET Mining Power Solutions” will no longer be used and from now on the company and it’s subsidiaries will operate under the trade name and brand O&L Nexentury GmbH. After a long and successful partnership with O&L, we have combined forces to build our next successful chapter.

2020 : CRONIMET goes Nexentury!

2019

In 2019 we were able to continue our success story. In our core market Namibia we developed and implemented two further plants in the capital Windhoek. One of the plants will from now on cover the energy needs and cut operational costs of Namibia Dairies, a leading force in the Namibian dairy industry and who employs over 700 people. The plant consists of two roof-mounted installations of 252 kWp and 310 kWp, a 140 kWp greenfield installation as well as a rooftop plant with a capacity of 80 kWp which was installed on top of the carport.

The second plant is the 1130 kWp rooftop photovoltaic system at Wernhil Park shopping center. We managed to complete the project within eight weeks and thus four weeks before the scheduled handover date. The plant in the heart of the Namibian capital provides clean energy to the shopping center, reduces energy costs and further enables the mall to avoid 2144 tons of CO2 per year.

2019 : We Power Africa

2018

CRONIMET is recognized as a leader in the off-grid hybridization of PV power plants and builds out its track record in Namibia’s game and eco-lodging sector of the hospitality industry. CRONIMET engineered a captive PV/ ESS/ diesel system and procured one of Africa’s largest lithium ion battery storage system for installation at a private off grid game lodge in the remote and environmentally sensitive Okowanga Delta region.

Our committed team is excited to realize all our upcoming projects and is confidently looking forward to the challenges of the future.

2018 : Looking Forward to Upcoming Projects

2017

In 2017, CRONIMET’s IPP orderbook of awarded IPPs was 30 MW across 8 grid-connected and captive PV and PV hybrid projects. Our pipeline of more projects under development continued to grow, adding new bilaterally PPA negotiations.  CRONIMET’s co-development activities with local developers intensified and further expanded into East and West Africa.

CRONIMET further fully developed, engineered, co-financed, constructed and commissioned a 3.8 MWp solar PV in Arandis, Namibia. Additionally, we completed our first PV system designed for the hospitality ensuring hoteliers a reliable off-grid and eco-friendly energy supply at a reliably favourable price.

2017 : Striving to Spread PV All Over Africa

2015

In 2015, CRONIMET partnered with the German state development finance institution (KfW/ DEG). Together the partnership committed nearly €5,000,000 to develop new PV projects, support local PV developers and offer capacity building and knowledge transfer workshops to universities, governments and the private sector in over 20 Sub-Saharan countries.

2015 : Socio-Economic Capacity Building with the DEG

2014

In 2014, CRONIMET Mining Power Solutions entered Namibia. As an EPC, we successfully engineered and constructed Namibia’s first utility scale and Nampower’s largest grid-connected PV power plant.

2014 : CRONIMET Mining Power Solutions Africa

2013

In 2013, after a highly successful demonstration PV/ diesel Hybrid power plant, the owner of the chrome mine, CRONIMET Mining AG out of Germany, acquired 51% of SOLEA Capital and renamed the company CRONIMET Mining Power Solutions. Supported by CRONIMET Mining AG’s billion-dollar balance sheet and years of African market experience, CRONIMET Power Solutions fixed its focus exclusively on Sub-Saharan Africa and set its sights on becoming one of Africa’s leading vertically integrated solar IPP developers of small and medium sized (1 MW to 30 MW) utility scale distributed PV and PV/ Hybrid IPPs

2013 : Focus on Sub-Saharan Africa

2012

In 2012, in the midst of South Africa’s public sector REIPPP program, CRONIMET set its targets on a less visible market niche – dedicated solar IPPs for private sector companies. The company signed an IPP development agreement with a little known private German chrome mining operation in South Africa’s Limpopo province near Thabazimbi. At the time, the operating mine was consuming nearly 2 MW of power from an off-grid captive diesel mini-grid. The mine was running its entire 24/7 open-pit mining operations with gensets, at an operating cost of US$500,000 a year ($0.25/kWh, diesel only). After nearly six months of development, CRONIMET engineered, permitted, financed, constructed and commissioned the world’s first off-grid utility scale PV/diesel hybrid power plant.

2012 : World’s First Off-Grid Utility Scale PV/ Diesel Hybrid Power Plant

2011

CRONIMET Mining Power Solutions was incorporated in 2011 and at the time traded under the name SOLEA Capital. Founders Rollie Armstrong and Steffen Kammerer formed an equity JV with the German EPC contractor, SOLEA AG, to establish an international solar development company.
During the first years of operations, we focused on utility scale PV power plants primarily in Germany and other policy driven European markets. By 2013, we successfully developed, financed, constructed and exited nearly 30 MW of power plants in Germany, Italy and Romania. As the renewable energy laws and policies in Europe were repealed, our founders turned toward a market where PV electricity was already approaching grid parity: Africa.

2011: Our Founding

The O&L Nexentury Group is a leading vertically integrated Independent Power Producer (IPP) developer. Our solutions begin at the greenfield development phase and include financing, engineering, procurement and construction, and plant operating and maintenance.

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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.

Managing Director

Steffen Kammerer

Besides his general management focus, our Managing Director Steffen is responsible for transaction- and project management, project financing and structuring of energy projects worldwide.

The business lawyer with degrees from the HFWU Nürtingen and the University of Economics Bratislava started his career at the international consulting company Ernst & Young in the area of mergers & acquisitions with a specialization in financial and advisory services to banks.

For an international investment company Steffen further actively led a considerable number of transactions and financing deals in the field of renewable energies.

In his previous role as Co-Founder and Director of SOLEA Capital GmbH, Steffen successfully managed the international expansion of the SOLEA group into Africa and Australia.

Managing Director

Bernd Walbaum

Bernd graduated with his Master’s Degree in Business/Managerial Economics at the University of Hamburg in 1980.

After working in the printing and media business as Sales and Marketing Director and Managing Director in Germany, Great Britain and USA and later as Management Consultant for Ernst & Young, he then served as Managing Director at Helion Solar, Germany and Solsquare, South Africa for five years.

As from 2012, Bernd Walbaum is the Chief Executive Officer of O&L Energy and since August 2020 also Group Managing Director of O&L Nexentury GmbH.

Managing Director 

Rollie Armstrong

As one of our Managing Directors, Rollie is focused on developing and implementing growth opportunities in the rapidly evolving market of renewable energies.

Prior to co-founding O&L Nexentury GmbH, Rollie co-founded and served as a director of SOLEA Capital GmbH, an internationally active PV development, investment and transaction structuring company. Under his leadership SOLEA successfully developed, built, operated and transferred utility scale PV projects throughout Europe and South Africa.

As the responsible manager of a Munich based private equity group, Rollie profitably executed investments in the renewable energy sector. Further, Rollie spent six years with Ernst & Young Germany as a Corporate Finance and M&A Manager.

Rollie earned an MBA in Corporate Finance from Northeastern University in Boston and holds an undergraduate degree (B.Sc.) in Financial Services from UNLV, in Nevada.

Executive Management:

Sven Thieme (Chairman)

Sven Thieme completed his secondary education at Deutsche Hohere Privatschule Windhoek and obtained the German Abitur in 1987.

He later graduated from the University of Cape Town, South Africa in 1991, with a degree in auditing, and completed his articles at Deloitte & Touche.

After his grandfather and the CEO of Ohlthaver & List, Werner List, passed away, Sven Thieme took over in 2002.

He had been working at the company since 1998 and served as the general manager from 2001 to 2002.

Additionally, Thieme serves on several supervisory boards of subsidiaries. Before joining the company, he worked as an auditor for Deloitte & Touche in Luxembourg from 1994 to 1998.

In 2004, he was responsible for establishing the Development Bank of Namibia, and in 2010, he served on the Supervisory Board of the public broadcaster, Namibian Broadcasting Corporation. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship by the International University of Management (IUM) in 2019.

Thieme has played a significant role in supporting and uplifting Namibian businesses; and, promoting economic development and fostering cooperation between the public and private sectors through his role as President of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) following his appointment in 2014 for three consecutive terms until 2020.

Thieme was conferred the Most Distinguished Order of Namibia: First Class on Heroes’ Day 2014 by the Head of State of the Republic of Namibia, Dr Hage G. Geingob, and is considered one of the most influential people in Namibia.

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