A PARTNERSHIP OF MANY FIRST
The partnership between the Botswana Power Corporation and Jindal Energy Botswana is a cooperation of many firsts. Occurring at a time when the country is at the verge of industrialization and development pushing for 100% energy self sufficiency. Grossed with ample novelties the partnership serves as Botswana’s first Independent Power Producer (IPP) and is a landmark project that will serve as a beacon of hope for the many Batswana who have continually looked upon BPC for continued power supply.
His Excellency President Mokgweetsi Masisi said that the project once complete will increase base load and improve electric supply to Batswana. With great gusto the President articulated that the Jindal, BPC partnership will drive the country to self reliance empowering the economy to look to other African shores in terms of exporting electricity and generating revenue for government coughers. “It is therefore most gratifying for me to witness the groundbreaking for our first major Independent Power Producer project which will deliver 300MW of coal fired base load generation capacity into the grid” he said President Masisi further said that the project will reduce the country’s external dependence on foreign international partners that have been abating electric shortages in the country aligning with key government strategies such as the recently ratified mindset change campaign. “Clearly reliance on power imports to meet our increasing electricity requirements is no longer an option as this poses a huge risk to our economy. Our back bone activities such as mining need to be supported 24 hours by reliable base load electric supply he said” he said The agreement comes through at a time when the southern African region is in dire need for energy solutions that speak to the constraints of the supply of electricity. With industrialization and the growth of the local economy, the Jindal BPC partnership will step in to mitigate the gap that exists in the market and set Botswana at the fore of energy solutions. David Kgoboko, CEO of BPC said that the partnership between the corporations has been a long thought process that followed due diligence compliance processes. Spanning as far as 2012, he said Jindal has always shown keen interest when they acquired CIC energies interest in Botswana paving way for Jindal to access high quality thermal coal fields.
In 2022 Jindal was nominated as the preferred bidder for the supply, purchase, financing and development of a 300MW power plant following a process overseen by the Ministry of Minerals and energy. “The new 300MW capacity is expected to be in operation by the end of the 1st quarter of 2028. At that juncture both Morupule and the Mmamabula plant will produce 820MW against the countries projected 800 MW by that juncture” he said
Chariman Jindal Group, Naveen Jindal said that the partnership will be paramount in unlocking value in other energy sector value chains such as the capacity to develop electric vehicles in a world that is increasingly becoming more green practice oriented. According to Jindal the partnership with Botswana will extend beyond just electrifying homes but to empowering communities and societies. “Our partnership transcends beyond merely supplying electricity; it’s about delivering a sustainable source of power that illuminates homes, energies industries and empower communities” he said. Jindals investment comes as the biggest foreign direct investment (FDI) flowing into Botswana, with an investment of over $2 Billion dollars (approximately P27 BILLION). The investment will benefit the local economy by creating jobs, energy sufficiency and tax revenues to government.