Botswana sees additional 820 MW of power by 2020-govt

KEPCO Engineering & Construction Co

14/06/2016 11:02

GABORONE, June 14 (Reuters) - Botswana is looking to add up 
to 820MW of power into the national grid from both coal and 
solar powered plants by 2020, leaving it a surplus for exports, 
Minerals and Energy Minister Kitso Mokaila said on Tuesday. 
    Independent power producers were expected to develop two 
300MW stations while refurbishment of a 120MW coal-fuelled power 
plant was expected to be complete by end of 2017, Mokaila told a 
mining conference. 
    A tender for a 100MW solar power station was also expected 
to be out soon, with the plant due to be running by 2018. 
    "In four years time we see ourselves as not only self 
sufficient  but we hope to have extra capacity to be exporting 
into the region," Mokaila said. 
    Earlier this year, Botswana awarded a tender for a 300MW 
power plant to a joint venture between South Korea's Posco and 
Japan's Marubeni. 
    The southern African country also intends to order a 300 MW 
power plant from a joint venture between South Korea's Daewoo 
and Kepco. 
    Mokaila said the government would put out a 100MW solar 
power tender in the next two months, aiming to have it in 
operation by 2018. 
    Botswana's  current power demand stands at an average 600MW. 
Its sole power station, Morupule B, produces about half of that, 
with the remainder coming from imports and diesel generators. 
    Since it was commissioned in 2012, the Chinese-built 600mw 
Morupule B power plant has not produced at full capacity due to 
boiler failures and tube leaks. 
    "We are also refurbishing Morupule B and negotiations to 
sell it and have it operate as an independent power producer 
have begun," said Mokaila.    
 
 (Writing by Stella Mapenzauswa; Editing by Alexandra Hudson) 
 ((stella.mapenzauswa@thomsonreuters.com; +27 11 775 3161; 
Reuters Messaging: 
stella.mapenzauswa.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))