A bunch of Chinese language firms led by China Harbour Engineering Co has received a contract to construct a 100MW photo voltaic plant in Botswana, the nation’s second utility-scale renewables facility.
China Harbour is partnering with China Water and Electrical Growth Co and native traders for the undertaking which is because of be commissioned within the second quarter of 2026. Zhitong Finance put the worth of the contract at US$78.3-million (R1.4-billion).
President Mokgweetsi Masisi attended the contract signing Monday in Jwaneng, a diamond mining city 200km west of the capital, Gaborone.
Botswana, a semi-arid nation dominated by the Kalahari Desert, receives among the world’s highest ranges of sunshine all year long, however coal dominates electrical energy manufacturing, with renewable power at the moment accounting for simply 2% of technology.
Below the federal government’s revised Built-in Useful resource Programme that particulars the technology to be purchased or put in till 2040, Botswana intends to ramp up its renewable power technology to 50% of demand by 2036.
In March, Scatec started constructing a 100MW solar energy plant within the nation’s north-east, with the primary 60MW on account of come on-line this yr.
Extra amenities
The ministry of minerals & power is finalising procurement of a 200MW concentrated solar-thermal energy plant and an extra 100MW photo voltaic facility, Masisi mentioned.
The federal government can also be working with the World Financial institution to develop two 50MW battery storage techniques that may assist the Jwaneng and Scatec initiatives, the president mentioned. — Mbongeni Mguni, (c) 2024 Bloomberg LP
