- Tsaone Segaetsho
Minister of Energy and Minerals, Bogolo Kenewendo, on Monday revealed that the government is considering constructing a brownfield base load coal-fired power plant as an “emergency action” to offset the uncertain generation of the ailing Morupule B Plant, whose remediation project is mired in uncertainty.
Botswana has two national power plants, Morupule A and Morupule B, which Kenewendo revealed in Parliament yesterday are key to the country’s security of supply in the short to medium term. The national power utility, Botswana Power Corporation (BPC), operates Morupule B, which has been plagued by technical defects for years. Regarding the Morupule B Defects Remedial Project, Kenewendo said it faces challenges and is scheduled to be completed between late this year and 2027.This will not alleviate the country’s substantial electricity consumption, which Kenewendo said is approximately 4,800 gigawatt-hours per annum, with a peak demand of 680 megawatts and a base load of 400 megawatts.
Kenewendo also revealed that electricity consumption continues to increase at about 5% per annum, with demand projected to reach 7,000 gigawatt-hours by 2040.“Currently, about 65% of the electricity demand is met from local generation, while the balance is imported from neighbouring countries, including South Africa, among others. The cost of power imports is rapidly increasing due to demand outstripping generation capacity in the region, which poses a significant challenge to countries like ours that are reliant on power imports to supplement local generation,” Kenewendo told lawmakers on Monday.
Kenewendo said that, given Botswana’s electricity supply-demand situation, it is imperative to increase local electricity generation capacity to become energy self-sufficient, with reserve margins for system security and surplus for export. She stated that this is critical in supporting Botswana’s strategic economic objectives and achieving the goal of universal electricity access by 2030.
This is why the government is planning, as a mitigation measure according to Kenewendo, to construct a brownfield base load coal-fired power plant, with an implementation timeline of 18 to 24 months.Another development, a 600MW coal-fired power plant in Mmamabula, is under construction and expected to be completed by 2027. Morupule A Power Station was refurbished in 2016 to recover from equipment degradation and to implement pollution abatement measures.
According to Kenewendo, the power station will be decommissioned after adequate base load is secured, which is anticipated in 2028. In an effort to go green, consideration is being given to repurpose the project site for clean energy generation.Kenewendo said the ministry is making notable progress, albeit rather slowly, in transforming Botswana’s power generation sources from predominantly coal to solar as the primary energy resource. She cited the example of the Mmadinare Solar Cluster, which achieved commercial operation status this month, and the Jwaneng 100MW solar PV project, which is expected to reach commercial operation by the end of 2025.
