Botswana will this month search proposals for the development of 1.5GW of solar energy era because it seeks to chop its reliance on coal, the nation’s mines & power minister mentioned.
The largely desert nation, which depends on coal and energy imports for its electrical energy, has set a goal of 2030 to make the most of its considerable daylight by getting 50% of its energy wants from renewable services. Jindal Metal & Energy is individually constructing coal-fired services to provide 600MW of energy within the nation.
“We’re already placing out a request for proposals” for the solar energy, Bogolo Kenewendo, the minister, mentioned in an interview this week. “There’s plenty of alternative for power manufacturing and exporting into Southern Africa.”
The request represents a step-change in Botswana’s drive to broaden renewable energy era, with simply 5.2MW of capability at the moment in operation and the federal government having awarded era contracts of 246MW. Its power plan requires 8GW of solar energy by 2030.
That ambition comes amid a regional scarcity of energy, with Zimbabwe and Zambia struggling crippling shortages of electrical energy after a drought drained dams used for hydropower, and South Africa periodically hit by outages as its ageing coal-fired vegetation break down.
Botswana’s personal energy demand is 600MW. Photo voltaic vegetation solely produce energy close to their capability at occasions of peak daylight akin to midday on a sunny day.
Learn: Know-how breakthrough might cut back area wanted for photo voltaic panels
President Duma Boko, who’s get together received an election in October within the nation’s first change of ruling get together since independence in 1966, mentioned in a January interview that the nation is unlikely to order any extra coal-fired energy. — Antony Sguazzin, William Clowes and Mbongeni Mguni, (c) 2025 Bloomberg LP
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