Botswana will build 200MW CSP project

    The 20-year (2020-2040) Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) of the country announced by Botswana on December 15, 2020 shows that the country plans to build a 200MW Solar System For Electricity solar thermal power generation project by 2026. It is reported that the procurement work for this project will begin this year.

    Botswana is a landlocked country south of the Sahara, bordering South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. According to the general idea of the plan, the government of this country has approved an additional 1.5GW of electricity installed capacity by 2040. The first step is to build a 135MW photovoltaic project by 2022.

    According to the plan, Botswana will build 800MW photovoltaic power generation projects, 200MW solar thermal power generation projects, 50MW wind power generation projects, 140MW battery energy storage projects, 300MW coal-fired power generation projects and 250MW coal-bed methane power generation projects.

    It is reported that the specific technical route of the proposed solar thermal power generation project may be determined according to storage requirements.

    In recent years, the cost of solar power generation has dropped sharply, which has greatly encouraged the Botswana government to plan more renewable energy projects when formulating the IRP.