The government of Botswana says power output from the Morupule Power Plant will be ramped up from the current 300 MW to 600 MW by 2020 through the addition of two new plants with a capacity to produce 300 MW each.
Addressing the Botswana Resource Sector Conference (BRSC) held in Gaborone on Tuesday, Minerals, Energy and Water Resources (MEWR) minister Kitso Mokaila said production at the plant, which has been operating at half-capacity since being commissioned in 2012, would be increased with the help of Independent Power Producers.
Mokaila said ongoing upgrades on units 5, 6, 7 and 8 will add up to 820 MW of power to the national grid from coal and solar-powered plants. Japanese and South Korean firms have been contracted to upgrade the Morupule Power Plant while bidding for another 100 MW solar power plant would open in the next two months.
“In four years time we see ourselves as not only self sufficient, but we hope to have extra capacity to be exporting into the region,” he said.
Presently, Morupule has two operational units which contribute 260MW to make up the 479MW produced locally. The country imports at least 190 MW from Mozambique and South Africa.