Botswana’s Biogas project is nearing its completion, and the government has declared it a success. The first-of-its-kind initiative, which began in 2017 and will end in January 2022, aimed to make low-carbon investments in the generation and use of biogas from agricultural waste easier.
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The establishment of biogas and fuel standards and the improvement of renewable energy feed-in tariffs, and the formulation of the Integrated Waste Management Bill are notable accomplishments. In addition, the project supported the training of 70 small-scale digester masons and the capacity building of 16 biogas trainers in six vocational training institutes. In addition, 200 small-scale digesters were built, with the goal of developing a feasibility study report for a medium-scale digester for the Botswana Meat Commission in the future (BMC).
Botswana’s Biogas Project and The Energy Industry
Lefoko Moagi, Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology, and Energy Security, talked on the sidelines of the Botswana Biogas Conference 2021 about the government’s goal of making the country energy secure. The energy industry, according to Moagi, will be changed by the use of renewable energy resources. He also stated that relevant technology will be deployed to improve efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, Moagi stated that a favourable climate would be developed, supported by policy and law, to encourage and facilitate private-public collaborations and investment in clean technologies and renewable energy sources.
According to the minister, Parliament recently ratified the National Energy Policy, Renewable Energy Strategy, and an Integrated Electricity Generation Plan to ratify their plans to shift to renewable energy sources. Botswana wants to lower its own greenhouse gas emissions by 15% from the 2010 baseline by 2030, according to Moagi. Furthermore, the government has established a goal for renewable energy to meet 15% of peak electricity consumption by 2030 in order to reduce emissions. Botswana’s Biogas project is viewed as one of the solutions to the country’s energy and environmental concerns since the country has struggled to satisfy the demand for power in recent years, relying on imports from South Africa’s ESKOM.
