01 Feb 2021

Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security has called on the Botswana Oil Limited (BOL) board to put more effort and commitment into timely delivery of the Tshele Hills project.

Touring the Tshele Hills storage facility site recently, Minister Lefoko Moagi said the project had long been on cards and therefore as a national security project, timely delivery was key.

“As a landlocked country, we get our fuel supplies from other countries. If we continue to see threats from our sources and their refineries going down, it is a sign that very soon they are going to be servicing their own first, therefore there must be something we are sure of in terms of our own supply,” he said, adding with borders closing easily nowadays, the same would go for factories soon.

“It is within our scope and control to deliver this project in the earliest time possible. We really need to be talking time because the more we continue to extend, the more the cost escalates. It is better to make mistakes along the way than to want to be perfect until we have run out of time,” he added.

The minister also encouraged BOL not to go beyond the set timelines and “if there are any hiccups stakeholders we must come round the table to sort out those issues.”

BOL board chairperson, Dr Joel Sentsho said the Tshele Hills project was one of government’s key strategic projects for ensuring security of fuel supply in Botswana.

Dr Sentsho indicated that about 60 per cent of energy needed  in Botswana was from petroleum products, making BOL a strategic partner in the development of the country’s economy.

He stated that the project arose from government’s quest to increase its storage capacities to achieve at least 60 days’ cover.

“Ideally as a landlocked country, Botswana should maintain at least 90 days’ cover. Upon completion of the project and other planned projects across the country, including the Francistown Depot expansion and the Ghanzi Depot development, Botswana will reach this objective,” he said.

Dr Sentsho added that it was imperative for government to have some level of control over the availability and supply of petroleum products in the country.

That, he said was because petroleum products drove the industry and touched the lives through transportation, use of diesel in generating power, water purification and associated processes as well as use of paraffin in households.

He said BOL remained committed to achieving the national mandate of ensuring efficiency and security of supply of petroleum projects as well as effective participation of Batswana in the sector.

“The Tshele Hill project is one of the enablers that will assist us to achieve this mandate and we will do our best to ensure that the project is delivered successfully,” he said. ends