26 March 2025
Botswana is contemplating building a new 615 MW coal-fired power station near its main generation plant to mitigate generation challenges at the facility.
The 600 MW, coal-fired Morupule B power station has never operated at full capacity since construction in 2012 due to frequent breakdowns and is currently undergoing maintenance.
“Should the Morupule B remedial works not yield the intended objectives,” the Energy Ministry “will consider other baseload generation options to avert a power crisis,” Minerals and Energy Minister Bogolo Kenewendo told lawmakers Monday.
“In this regard, the government is considering a brownfield 615 MW baseload coal-fired power plant with an implementation timeline of 18 to 24 months,” she said.
A previous plan to expand Morupule B by 600 MW failed in 2019 after the government declined to provide guarantees to the winning bidders.
