World Bank report on Botswana needs to be read29 Jul 2022 00:39
In response, Botswana has started significant policy initiatives aimed at enhancing
its electricity supply security, reducing dependence on imports and increasing the contribution of renewables. Botswana’s power generation capacity is currently dominated by coal power plants (82 percent) and emergency backup diesel power plants (18 percent). The heavy reliance on coal has important negative environmental effects: in 2019,
annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from coal reached 3.98 million tonnes, which is equivalent to nearly 60 percent of total CO2 by fuel type in the country, up from 1.99 million tonnes in 2010 when coal accounted for 44 percent of total fuel emissions.152
Even though coalbed methane will continue to play a key role and coal investments will continue—at least in the short term—there is an increasing policy focus on renewables. With abundant sunshine, Botswana has a comparative advantage to produce solar energy and support energy diversification in the region. The government of Botswana plans
to increase the contribution of renewables to the total energy supply mix to at least 15 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2036 (Vision 2036).153 The Integrated Resource Plan (2020–40), the National Energy Policy (2021), the Renewable Energy Strategy (2018), the Sustainable Energy Action Agenda (2018), the Rooftop Solar Program (2020), and the Renewable Readiness Assessment (2020) all reflect ambitious targets and plans to increase domestic power supply by increasingly using renewable energy sources. For example, procurements of a 2 X 50-MW solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant and 12 grid-tied
solar plants totaling 35 MW are currently at an advanced stage. One of the two 50MW solar PV plants and 6 of the 12 grid-tied solar plants have been awarded, with a total of 5 Power Purchase Agreemwnts signed.