Stalemate over Morupule B's US$800m expansion goes to OP

The pension fund wants a piece of the action
The pension fund wants a piece of the action

The country’s highest office has entered the four-year deadlock over whether government should go ahead with the US$800 million (P8.6 billion) expansion of Morupule B; several highly placed insiders have confirmed to BusinessWeek.

Two Asian mega-corps – Marubeni from Japan and Posco from South Korea – won the tender to expand Morupule B by 300MW in 2015 and were due to have begun work in January 2017 on a 42-month contract.

While Morupule B currently has four units capable of producing 600MW, it has never produced that much due to frequent breakdowns and is due to undergo intensive repairs over the next four years. The Asian joint venture meanwhile has still not kicked off due to a dispute over a government support agreement required for the two firms to reach financial close.

Editor's Comment
Botswana at a critical juncture

While the political shift brings hope for change, it also places immense pressure on the new administration to deliver on its election promises in the face of serious economic challenges.On another level, newly appointed Finance Minister Ndaba Gaolathe’s grim assessment of the country’s finances adds urgency to the moment. The budget deficit, expected to be P8.7 billion, is now anticipated to be even higher due to underperforming diamond...

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