Mmamantswe to commence by 2016

BG reporter

Aviva Corporation Limited is likely to commence the construction of Mmamantswe Power Project by 2016, BG Business has established. The good news for the Australian company comes immediately after the Department of Environmental Affairs approved its final Environmental and Archaeological Impact Assessment Report for the Mmamantswe project late last month.

It was not possible to get further information from Comfort Molosiwa, head of the company in Botswana, by press time on Wednesday.In 2007, Aviva identified a large coal resource of 1.3 billion tonnes, including a probable run of mine reserve of 895mt, some 70 kilomtres north of Gaborone.

It has since then been motivated to establish a coal power station, which would comprise of four units of 500mega watts, hence totaling 2000 MW in total production of power. Aviva intends to develop the resource into a multi-facet manner, which would include an export market infrastructure.

The project comes at a time when President Ian Khama announced plans to focus on the Coal Road Map of Botswana, whose main aim is to diversify the diamond led economy away from diamond dependence.

Since 2007, Aviva has undertaken numerous studies, including water drilling, coal quality, coal preparation, mine scoping, power generation and transmission, and most recently – thermal coal export.

Studies conducted earlier this year indicate that the 895Mt Mmamantswe project could yield two product streams, namely 200Mt of export grade thermal coal and an additional 100-150Mt of domestic power coal capable of supporting a 300MW domestic power station with a mine life of 60 years.

Recently, Vice President Ponatshego Kedikilwe said at the commissioning of the Japanese government sponsored 1.3MW solar power station that government wants to tap into the 210 metric tonnes coal resources in Botswana, to also produce electricity.