18 Feb 2018

Botswana’s electricity infrastructure capacity is challenged by economic growth, demand profile, new connections, unmet and off-grid demand.

Speaking during the 60 villages Electrification Project Switch- on ceremony at Dovedale in the Mahalapye West constituency on Friday, President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama said the situation requested government to develop an agile power supply system provided with the latest technology inventions that were efficient, flexible and environmentally friendly.

The village was connected to the national electricity grid through Economic Stimulus Programme.

Culminating from the draft National Energy Policy, President Khama said government would plan developing an Integrated Resource Plan, which would determine long-term electricity demand and detail on how the demand would be met in terms of generating capacity, type, timing and cost.

He said that in addition to developing the integrated resource plan, government would invest in modernising electricity supply by focusing on solar energy efficiency programmes.

President Khama said the role that energy played in improving quality of life for the general public was a well-established fact hence the direct correlation between GDP growth and energy consumption growth.

“It is for this reason among others that provision of adequate energy is a pre-requisite to successful industrialisation,”stated President Khama.
President Khama paid tribute to the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security for implementing government’s programme on provision of reliable and affordable electricity to ensure Batswana access electricity services country wide.

Alongside BPC as an implementing agent of Government’s Rural Electrification Plan, President Khama said the ministry had been electrifying new villages and extending electricity network to areas that had outgrown the grid coverage.

President Khama said, since the inception of ESP, rural electrification became part and parcel of the program.

Under the first phase of ESP, President Khama said government had completed the electrification of 34 villages.
He said, currently government was implementing the 60 villages rural electrification project comprising of 15 villages, inclusive of Dovedale and extending distribution network in 45 others.

The project will be completed March this year and once the 60 villages project was complete, there would be 402 villages electrified throughout the country, President Khama said.
In an effort to increase electricity access, President Khama said government took the initiative to connect electricity to all government institutions in villages that were already electrified.
The project covered 81 clinics and staff houses and also extended connection to 131 tribal administration offices and their 115 staff houses.
Further, President Khama noted that 107 primary school and 373 staff houses were electrified under the project.
Through the National Electrification Standard Cost (NESC) with a standard cost of P5 000 for household electricity connection, President Khama said government had stimulated the uptake of electricity by households.
As a resulted of NESC programme, President Khama added that 92 868 households were connected to the electricity network, an increase of 15 006 households as at March 2017.

President Khama said Botswana had a sparsely distributed population with some villages located far away from the national grid, a situation that resulted in an inadequate transmission and distribution of infrastructure.

In that regard, President Khama said government would continue to provide financial support to BPC for it to meet its obligation of electrifying the country and meet the population’s demand for electricity.

He encouraged residents of Dovedale to utilise the electricity infrastructure, adding “today’s switch on of Dovedale should come as a solution to those developments that were awaiting the arrival of electricity in your area.”

While encouraging the uptake of electricity, President Khama emphasised that residents abide by the law and desist from vandalism and fraudulent electricity connection.

“As Dovedale community let us refrain from any activity that will compromise our systems,” he stated.

He urged residents to avoid tempering with electricity infrastructure as any form of unauthorised access would be a risk to their life.

“Let us use electricity in a safe and efficient manner,” stated President Khama.

Giving an update on rural electrification project, Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security Minister, Advocate Sadique Kebonang said even though government was faced with financial constraints the project was made possible through President Khama’s wisdom.

Advocate Kebonang said President Khama initiated ESP and made Dovedale project possible.
He said Dovedale was among the 60 villages to be connected with electricity under ESP adding that the village was among those that were never connected to the electricity grid before while in other villages the project was faced on expanding electricity coverage.

Mahalapye West Member of Parliament, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso who is also Local Government and Rural Development Assistant Minister said residents had long awaited for their village to be connected to the national electricity grid.

Ms Tshireletso said the switch on was done at a time when 30 residents had applied for household connections, of which eight had already paid their share.

“As President Kham commissions the power project here at Dovedale kgotla, five residents houses will be switched on as they are now connected to the national grid,” she stated.

Ms Tshireletso thanked all those who made the project possible. Ends