Botswana Solar Tender For 12 Projects

• Botswana Power Corporation has issued request for proposals to develop 12 solar power projects in the country
• Selected developers will be required to develop, finance, construct, operate and maintain the projects
• In the brief announcement issued by the state agency, last date to submit bids is specified as March 29, 2019

Botswana Power Corporation (BPC), the African country's state-owned power utility, has issued a request for proposal for the development of 12 solar PV power projects. Scope of work for the tender is development, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the said plants.

The brief tender announcement doesn't specify the individual or cumulative capacity of the plants, their location or when these are expected to be commissioned. Last date of bid submission is March 29, 2019.

In May 2017, BPC had launched an expression of interest for interested companies to set up a joint venture for a 100 MW solar power plant in the country with suitable energy storage capacity. It was part of a comprehensive electrical power system development strategy devised along with the Ministry of Minerals, Green Technology and Energy Security (MMGE).

Botswana suffers from a major gap between electricity demand and supply. One of the major power sources for the nation are the 132 MW Morupule A and 600 MW Morupule B coal power stations that do not produce enough to meet the demand. Hence the country is forced to import electricity mainly from South Africa's Eskom and Mozambique's EDM. The government sees solar as a solution that can meet future electricity demand and address power supply challenges.