18 May 2022

Government is committed to turning Botswana into an energy surplus nation from the current deficit status. Minister of Minerals and Energy, Mr Lefoko Moagi said this at the opening of a three-day Botswana Resources Infrastructure Energy Forum (BRIEF), which ended yesterday. 

Minister Moagi said to that effect, some key initiatives in the power sector were being undertaken through implementation of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), to ensure realisation of the vision. 

Currently, he said some of the projects under the IRP already being implemented included the development of 2x50MW Solar Power plants in Jwaneng and Selebi-Phikwe, development of 12 mini grid-tied solar plants with a total generation capacity of 35MW and several off-grid solar generation plants in areas inaccessible to power grid. 

He indicated that commercial operation of the 2x50MW photovoltaic (PV) plants was scheduled to commence before the end of the current financial year while two of the 12 grid-tied PV plants were likely to start commercial operation before the last quarter of the current financial year. He said a re-tender for the remaining 10 grid-tied PV plants was in progress and their commercial operation was also scheduled to commence before the last quarter of current financial year. 

“Implementation of the IRP which was launched in December 2020 started in January last year. The objective of the plan is to develop local power generation capacity to meet electricity demand over the next 20 years through solar, Coal Bed Methane (CBM), coal, wind and other green energy technologies,” he said. 

Mr Moagi also told the forum that government continued to promote and support engagement of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) as part of its efforts to improve energy security hence the IRP remained an important instrument to guide the coordination of IPPs’ investor interests in the electricity generation sector. Currently the IRP was being reviewed to bring forward some of the envisaged projects. 

“In terms of national electricity coverage, the country stood at more than 78 per cent and it is considered that those areas which are inaccessible to the national grid will be considered for servicing through the solar off-grid programme,” he said. 

He added that government would continue to provide financial (tariff) support to Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) for it to meet its commercial obligations in the foreseeable future. 

“With an emphasis on liquid fuels, the development of The Hills Strategic Oil Storage project is ongoing…stage one of this project was completed in December 2018. Since then, lack of adequate government funding necessitated the need for alternative implementation through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP),” he said. 

The minister further indicated that in May 2019, implementation of the project was transferred from the Department of Energy to Botswana Oil limited, with completion of the Tshele Hills project set to increase Government National Strategic Fuel Stock Cover from the current 18 days to more than 45 days, and at least 60 days for the southern consumption envelope. ends