BPC EMBRACES GREEN ENERGY
Signs Power Purchase Agreement with SA company
Botswana Power Corporation’s (BPC) efforts to move towards renewable and green energy sources have continued to bear fruit as the power utility signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPAS) with Scatec, for the generation of 50MW power.
Scatec is a South African company which, for the past 15 years, has been at the forefront of renewable energy projects (solar), with a strong presence in Sub-saharan Africa and eight successful operational projects in Mozambique, Rwanda and South Africa.
The solar PV project will have Scatec financing, building, owning and operating the solar plant, which is set to be loa net exporter of energy in the region. In this forming part of the Integrated Recated in the Selibe-phikwe Economic Diline with government commitment and source Plan, which BPC has been manversification Unit (SPEDU) area between support for citizen economic empowerdated to implement by the government Mmadinare and Selibe Phikwe. The ment, this project has a mandatory local of Botswana. power plant is expected to be fully opcontent plan to be met by Scatec. This “Soon, we will be floating seven tenerational by June 2024 and allow offtake will ensure that the industry is sustainders for small scale grid tied solar PV of power by BPC for a period of 25 years. able and Batswana benefit from the entire projects all with a combined capacity The project is the first utility scale Indevalue chain,” said Kgoboko. of 20MW. These will be strictly for 100 pendent Power Producer (IPP) project in BPC has a mandate to procure indepercent citizen-owned companies. Also, Botswana pendent power producers for the develprocurement of a developer of a second
Speaking at the signing ceremoopment of two grid connected utility 50MW utility scale solar PV project for ny, BPC Chief Executive Officer, David scale solar PV plants and 12 small scale Jwaneng is ongoing. Expectation is that Kgoboko, said the project forms part of grid-tied solar PV plants with a combined the tender will be awarded in December their corporate strategy, which aims to capacity of 35MW. Thus far, the corpora2022,” Kgoboko said about future projdevelop energy mix, whichects.isaimedatin-tionhassignedfiveppasforthedevelopcreasing renewables in the local electricment of five small scale tied solar PV projFor his part, Scatec Senior Business ity supply portfolio. ects, two of which are under construction Developer Manager for Sub-saharan
“The 50MW solar plant will contribwhile three are at financing stage, thereAfrica, Ebenhaezer Roux de Vos, said ute immensely towards security and refore the Selibe Phikwe/mmadinare plant Botswana is strategically located to liability of power supply, decarbonising becomes the sixth one to be added to the play a key role in renewable energy our energy mix and making the country long list of harnessing solar energy, all transformation. “The location of the project is strategic looking at the proximity of the grid network and industrial character of Phikwe. The project will have installed capacity of 60MW to meet the export capacity requirement of 50MW. An estimated 48,000 tonnes of carbon emissions will be avoided annually and the plant will power approximately 20,000 households,” he said.
As it stands (2022) in the Botswana energy sector, 83 percent of electricity is generated from coal while 16 percent and 1 percent are from diesel and solar respectively. However, BPC is working on energy transition to have solar, wind and coal bed methane contributing 31,4 and 1 percent respectively while coal will contribute 64 percent by 2030.