# Botswana awards Norway’s Scatec first large-scale solar plant contract
Author:  Pal Sinha, Barnali 
Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali
Published: 2022-09-01
Category: NEWS
Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news
Meta Title: Botswana Power Corp partners with Scatec ASA for 50MW solar
Meta Description: Norwegian company Scatec ASA to build Botswana's first utility-scale solar plant, boosting clean energy shares and power supplies by 2024.
URL: https://financedigest.com/botswana-awards-norways-scatec-first-large-scale-solar-plant-contracthtml

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GABORONE (Reuters) – State-owned Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) has awarded Norwegian company Scatec ASA a contract to build a 50 MW solar plant, the companies announced on Wednesday, BPC’s first utility-scale renewable energy project as Botswana looks to boost power supplies and increase clean energy shares.

Under the terms of a Power Purchase Agreement signed on Wednesday, Scatec will finance, build, own and operate the solar plant and recoup its investment by selling electricity to BPC over 25 years.

“The plant is our first and largest utility-scale grid connected solar PV plant and we expect the project to be operational by June 2024,” BPC CEO David Kgoboko said, adding that procurement of another large-scale solar plant was underway.

The [plant will be located near](https://www.financedigest.com/ferrari-enel-x-plan-solar-plant-near-fiorano-test-track.html "Ferrari, Enel X plan solar plant near Fiorano test track") the mining town of Selebi-Phikwe, 400 kilometres east of capital Gaborone.

Botswana currently does not have any large-scale [solar power](https://www.financedigest.com/public-power-corp-rwe-to-build-five-solar-farms-in-greece.html "Public Power Corp, RWE to build five solar farms in Greece") generation and its 600 MW national energy demand is predominantly met by state-owned coal-fired plants.

Endowed with over 212 billion tonnes of coal, fossil [fuels are likely to dominate power generation in the near](https://www.financedigest.com/oil-spills-and-near-misses-more-ghost-tankers-ship-sanctioned-fuel.html "Oil spills and near misses: more ghost tankers ship sanctioned fuel") future but Botswana has a target of at least 18% of national production being generated from renewables by 2030.

In May, Botswana invited bids from independent [power producers to build another 200 MW power plant](https://www.financedigest.com/edpr-brings-iberias-first-wind-solar-power-plant-on-stream.html "EDPR brings Iberia’s first wind-solar power plant on-stream") comprising of two units of 100 MW each, with the plants expected to be commercially online by 2026/2027.

Scatec is one of the leading renewable energy solutions companies in the world with ongoing wind, [hydro and solar power projects](https://www.financedigest.com/sse-to-invest-122-million-in-scottish-pumped-hydro-project.html "SSE to invest 2 million in Scottish pumped hydro project") in Africa, Asia and South America.

(Reporting by Brian Benza; Editing by Bhargav Acharya and Josie Kao)


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