Botswana is considering the construction of a new 615 megawatt coal-fired power station near its main generation plant, Morupule B, in an effort to address the generation challenges that the facility has been facing. The Morupule B power station, which has a capacity of 600 megawatts, has not been able to operate at full capacity since it was built in 2012 due to frequent breakdowns. The plant is currently under maintenance.
The Energy Ministry of Botswana has stated that if the remedial works at Morupule B do not achieve the intended objectives, it will consider other base load generation options to prevent a power crisis.
Minerals and Energy Minister Bogolo Kenewendo mentioned that the government is considering a brownfield 615-megawatt base load coal-fired power plant as a potential solution. This new power plant could be implemented within a timeline of 18 to 24 months.
It’s worth noting that a previous plan to expand the capacity of Morupule B by an additional 600 megawatts in 2019 was unsuccessful. The government declined to provide guarantees to the winning bidders, leading to the failure of the expansion plan.
