Bye bye load shedding but...

| Friday August 2, 2013 00:00

Numerous reasons were offered by the government through Botswana Power Corporation why the Morupule B power plant project has delayed, leading to perpetual load shedding. Logistics - typhoon at sea, strike action in SA, delays in Provision of Commissioning Power, challenges encountered During Commissioning of Units (1 to 3), leaks on Primary and Secondary Air Ducts (Units 1 to 3), non-Compliance to Safety Measures for Work at Height on Boiler 4 Construction and outages on Transmission Grid (Forced & Planned). Nothing about the dishonesty in the award of the tender and the associated bogus and poor workmanship was mentioned.

The load shedding resulting from poor planning, lack of political-economic foresight and dubious dealing in the Morupule B power plant project have come at a high cost to the business economy and social life of Batswana. As is usually the case with many other things that go wrong in this country, no one was prepared to take responsibility. For a long time, about 80 percent of Botswana's electricity was imported from South Africa's public enterprise, Eskom (70 percent), and other neighbouring countries (Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia). About 20 percent of domestic power production was generated by an unreliable nearly 30-year old Morupule 'A' Power Station plant in the vicinity of Palapye, operated by Botswana Power Corporation. Debswana operates the nearby Morupule Colliery to supply coal to the plant. Solar photovoltaic and wind-generated electricity, albeit important to satisfying the power need in remote areas, contributed a tiny fraction of about one percent to the total energy supply.

It is mindboggling why it took more than three decades to realise that the country has to be energy self-sufficient as that is a pre-requisite for domestic investment, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and/or socio-economic development. It did not occur to the government that Botswana has large coal deposits estimated at 212 billion tonnes 3.3 billion tonnes of which are measured reserves and at least 17 billion tonnes are considered suitable for power plant use.  Whereas Mauritius and the Seychelles are fully or nearly fully electrified, Botswana is faring badly at 40-50 percent.  This cannot be acceptable in a population of about two million people which is endowed with so much in resources, especially coal that can be used to generate electricity. South Africa is at 60 percent, Namibia 33 percent and Swaziland has 33 percent electrification.  Electrification, especially of rural areas, remains a major social and financial challenge for most Batswana. The government has, through its lackadaisical approach to energy, made Batswana to believe that electricity is extravagance and not a basic necessity.

The issue of electrical energy has been one of the main impediments to both FDI and domestic investment, and by extension, diversification of the economy. Lack of electricity, among other things, raises the cost of living, thus making it a contributing factor to poverty. The promised completion and operation of Morupule B should mean low connection fees, low electricity tariffs and access to the power grid by all Batswana. After all, this country cannot just be energy self-sufficient but can also export electricity to other countries.

Dithapelo KeorapetsePresident, BCPYL