On Mission to provide Secure Power Supply for the country, Botswana Power has initiated the process to appoint a Joint Venture Partner for the construction of a 100MW Solar Power Plant to supplement the supply into the national grid that is currently generated by the Morupule B 600 MW Power Station.
The 100MW Solar Power Plant will augment Botswana’s power supply portfolio and reduce the country’s carbon footprint and help conserve the environment. Botswana has one of the highest solar energy ratings globally. The investment in the 100MW Solar Power Plant sets the stage for more fully exploiting this natural resource that the country has in abundance and begins to deliver on the nation’s Vision 2036 commitment and our National Commitment under the Paris Climate Agreement for a significant percentage of our energy to be sourced from renewable green sources.
The Corporation invited submissions of Expression of Interest and has received 166 responses including both local and external companies and consortiums. The Corporation will, over the next four (4) weeks, select a shortlist of companies for the next stage of the tender selection process following the Public Procurement and Assets Disposal Board (PPADB) regulations as well as the Corporation’s process of procurement. What was evident in the BPC’s public invitation for Expression of Interest, is the fact that paramount in the selection of the JV Partner is the partner’s proven record of developing Solar Power Plants of this same scale.
The Corporation plans to conclude identification of and the securing of agreement with a JV Partner on a timeline for the project to start in December 2017 and for the entire 100MW Solar Power capacity to feed into the National Grid during the 2018/19 financial year. Solar Power plants lend themselves to modular installation and every opportunity will be taken for every completed stage/phase to begin feeding into the grid in instalments until all the targeted 100MW supply is established.