2 South Korean firms to be appointed to expand power plant

Pulse Staff 06:22 - 23 April 2016

Security guards arrive with dogs for their shift at a power station in Gaborone, Botswana, November 23, 2015. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

The plant has an installed capacity of 600 MW but works are already under way to add 300MW by a joint venture between Japan's Marubeni and South Korea's Posco Energy.

Two South Korean firms could be picked to expand Botswanas Morupule B power station by 300 megawatt (MW) in a bid by the southern African nation to ease power shortages, the energy minister said on Friday.

Energy minister Kitso Mokaila was quoted in the local Mmegi newspaper as saying that the expansion would be carried out by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and Daewoo.

The plant would eventually generate a total of 1,200 MW when all the expansions are completed.

The coal-fired power station was originally built by the China National Electric Equipment Corporation (CNEEC) at a cost of $970 million but has often broken down, leading to a reliance on diesel generators and imports from South Africa.

Botswana's current electricity demand stands at 600 MW, according to the energy department.