Botswana Signs PPA For 50 MW Solar Power Plant

• Scatec is to construct and own a 50 MW solar power plant in Botswana's Selebi Phikwe
• It has entered into a 25-year power purchase agreement with BPC to locate the plant in a former mining town
• Project will help avoid close to 48,000 tons of CO2 emissions and supply power to around 20,000 households annually

State owned utility Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) has entered a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for a 50 MW solar power plant which Norway's Scatec will construct and own in a former mining town of the African country.

Scatec will provide EPC services along with operation and maintenance (O&M) to the facility at Selebi Phikwe. Once online, it will help avoid close to 48,000 tons of carbon emissions and supply power to some 20,000 households annually.

The Norwegian company called it a significant development for Botswana as it gets ready to exploit its solar energy potential while diversifying the energy mix. Botswana aims for 15% of its national energy mix by 2030 to come from renewables and expand to 50% by 2036.

"We are proud to have reached this milestone with the BPC – demonstrating our ability to support and deliver clean energy and infrastructure to Sub-Saharan Africa," said Scatec's General Manager of Sub-Saharan Africa Jan Fourie.

In January 2022, BPC was seeking proposals for 6 solar power plants to be developed in the country without identifying their capacity (see Botswana Announces Solar PV Tender).

In Botswana's neighboring country South Africa, Scatec is building 3 solar power plants with 540 MW PV and 225 MW battery capacity. It has now raised NOK 1.2 billion ($102 million) from Norway government's financial enterprise Export Finance Norway (Eksfin).