Southern African grid crisis.
prob 0.53
severity 3.8 / 5 · revision 2026-05-10elevated · 10 Southern African economies · power + mining$ shortage country get NAM > stress_index: 0.52 WATCH > 1 events · 1 scenarios > refreshed 2026-05-17
BRENT $72.13/b ● TTF €44.25/MWh ● OPEC_ORB n/a SPR_US 331.2 Mb ▼ FAO_FFPI 130.8 ▼
The v3.2 stress index is a six-axis composite of energy and food exposure, geopolitical pressure, fiscal headroom, demography and supply concentration, normalised to a 0–1 scale.
Namibia imports all of its fuel and a large share of its electricity from South Africa, though giant offshore oil discoveries in the Orange Basin could transform it into a producer this decade. A major uranium miner, it is an arid country that imports much of its food.
Namibia, the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa, faces recurrent severe drought with no permanent inland lakes.
| STOCK TYPE | RESERVE | DAYS COVER | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil · imported fuel and offshore discoveriesAll fuel is imported; giant Orange Basin discoveries could make Namibia a producer. | transitioning | 25days | WATCH |
| Electricity · imports, hydro and renewablesMuch electricity is imported from South Africa, with renewables expanding. | balanced | — | WATCH |
| Grain · commercial stocksAn arid climate leaves Namibia importing much of its food. | limited | 40days | WATCH |
$ curl -s https://api.shortage.life/v1/countries/NAM | jq '.stress' > 0.52