• Botswana plans to build a new 615-megawatt coal-fired power station to address power challenges
• The new plant aims to reduce dependence on costly imports and provide a stable baseload
• Botswana's current power generation is insufficient, with peak demand exceeding supply
• The new plant could nearly double Botswana's installed capacity and reduce the annual import bill by $150 million

Harare- Botswana, a landlocked nation in Southern Africa, is poised to deepen its reliance on coal to address persistent generation challenges. With proven coal reserves estimated at 212 billion tons though only about 7 billion tons are currently deemed economically recoverable, the country possesses a resource wealth that could transform its energy landscape.

The government’s latest move, a plan to construct a new 615-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power station near the existing Morupule B facility, signals a bold step to bolster domestic power generation and reduce dependence on costly imports.

This comes as the 600 MW Morupule B plant, operational since 2012, continues to falter, rarely exceeding half its capacity due to frequent breakdowns and ongoing maintenance woes.

Morupule B, built with Chinese financing and intended as the backbone of the nation’s energy supply, has been a disappointment. Plagued by technical issues ranging from boiler defects to poor-quality coal from the adjacent Morupule Colliery, the plant has forced Botswana to lean heavily on imported power, primarily from South Africa’s Eskom and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

At its peak in 2012, imports accounted for 94% of the country’s electricity, a vulnerability exposed when regional supply tightened amid South Africa’s own blackouts.

Even as import reliance has eased to around 30% by 2025, domestic demand, driven by mining and urbanisation, continues to outstrip supply, with the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) struggling to meet a peak demand of approximately 600 MW.

A previous attempt to expand Morupule B by 600 MW collapsed in 2019 when the government declined to provide financial guarantees to winning bidders, leaving the project in limbo.

Now, with the proposed 615 MW station, Botswana is betting on coal once more to secure energy independence and support its diamond-driven economy, which accounts for 80% of export earnings.

The New Coal Push: A Solution in Sight?

The new coal-fired plant, slated for construction near Morupule B in the coal-rich Palapye region, aims to address these generation shortfalls head-on. By tapping into the Morupule coalfield one of Africa’s largest untapped reserves, the facility could nearly double Botswana’s installed capacity, offering a stable baseload to complement intermittent solar projects like the 100 MW Mmadinare solar plant launched in 2023.

The government envisions this as a bridge to energy self-sufficiency, reducing the $150 million annual import bill and shielding the economy from regional power volatility.

Officials argue that coal remains the most viable option given Botswana’s limited alternatives.

Hydropower is negligible due to the country’s arid climate, and while solar potential is high, the technology’s scalability and storage costs lag behind coal’s immediate reliability.

“Coal is what we have in abundance, and it’s what we know how to use,” a BPC spokesperson noted in early 2025, echoing a pragmatic sentiment as the nation seeks to power its growing industrial and domestic needs.

Botswana’s power challenges have tangible economic costs. The diamond industry, a global leader producing 24 million carats annually, relies on consistent electricity for extraction and processing. Outages, though less frequent than in neighboring South Africa or Zimbabwe, disrupt operations, costing millions in lost output.

Small businesses and households, too, suffer from unreliable supply, with rural electrification rates hovering below 70%.

The World Bank estimates that power shortages shave up to 1% off Botswana’s GDP growth annually a significant hit for a nation targeting 5% growth through its Vision 2036 development plan.

The new plant promises to stabilize supply, potentially unlocking downstream coal beneficiation industries like coal-to-liquids, which could diversify the economy beyond diamonds.

With unemployment at 20% in 2024, job creation from construction and operation estimated at 1,000 direct jobs adds further appeal.

Yet, this coal pivot is not without controversy. Coal-fired plants are emissions-heavy, and the new station could add 1.5 million tons of CO2 annually to Botswana’s modest carbon footprint, currently among the lowest in SADC at 2.5 tons per capita.

Environmentalists warn of air pollution risks in Palapye, where Morupule B already contributes to local particulate levels exceeding World Health Organisation guidelines.

Water scarcity, a perennial issue in Botswana, could worsen, as coal plants require significant cooling water up to 2 billion litres yearly for a 615 MW facility drawn from strained reservoirs like Letsibogo Dam.

Globally, Botswana faces pressure to align with decarbonisation trends, especially as a signatory to the Paris Agreement. However, officials counter that Africa, responsible for just 3% of global emissions, deserves leeway to exploit its resources for development.

“The West built its economies on coal; we’re only asking for the same chance,” a Ministry of Mineral Resources official remarked in March 2025.

If successful, the 615 MW plant could end the era of blackouts, powering homes, mines, and factories with homegrown energy. But its legacy will depend on execution, unlike Morupule B, this project must deliver reliability and on Botswana’s ability to pair coal with renewables for a sustainable transition.

For now, coal remains the nation’s clearest path out of the dark, a gamble on a resource as abundant as it is contentious.

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