Commitment to fund Bobonong and Shakawe solar power plants construction in Botswana

The construction of the Bobonong and Shakawe solar power plants in Botswana is set to be funded by ResponsAbility Investments. The company will do so through its Climatic Fund. Monya Bassingthwaighte, ResponsAbility Investments’ director said that they were pleased to support the implementation of the project. 

Recently, Sturdee Energy, an independent power producer (IPP) implementing the facilities, signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA). With a combined capacity of 4MW, Bobonong and Shakawe solar power plants will therefore sell electricity to the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC).

BPC is a state-owned company for electrical power generation, transmission, and distribution in Botswana.

Construction of the Bobonong and Shakawe solar power plants

The Bobonong and Shakawe solar power plants are currently being constructed in the towns of Bobonong and Shakawe. The former is approximately 393km from the capital Gaborone while the latter is on the Namibian border.

Read also: Project for Construction of First Solar Power Plant in Casablanca Launched

The two solar power plants’ tender calls for Sturdee Energy to utilize local labor in their implementation. In order to be built to international standards, the projects have profited from the leading technical, legal, and environmental consultations. 

They are scheduled to commence commercial operations before the end of 2022. The Bobonong and Shakawe solar power plants will reduce 344,255 CO2 emissions. 

Efforts to meet the country’s energy deficit

In 2017, the World Bank estimated Africa’s electricity access at 62.8%. Botswana generated only 60% of the total energy used at the same time. Zambian and South African imports made up the deficit. Additionally, the Morupule B coal-fired power station, which has a generating capacity of 600 MW, produces 29% of the electricity that is available.

In 2019, the government of Botswana, together with the Namibian government, launched a joint 5000MWp solar photovoltaic mega project to improve electrification throughout the country.

It is said that through the Power Africa initiative, the US government supported the initiative. The implementation of the project’s 3rd phase will see solar parks built, generating 1000 to 3000 MWp.

Southern Africa countries that were not revealed will benefit from the project since most of the electricity generated will be sold.