No load-shedding this winter

Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) transmission Director Ncheba Mothebe says the nation will not experience power load-shedding this winter, thanks to the reduced demand from the mining sector whose performance is restrained due to the declining commodity price.

“People have been asking me why this time we have not had load shedding and the power is stable but this is because of the demand side from the mining sector which has gone down because of the low commodity price,” he said at the Botswana Resource Sector conference held in Gaborone.He added that some companies have closed down leading to less demand for energy in the country.

“Some of the mines in Botswana have closed while a company like Tati, its consumption has gone down to almost 10 percent because of the viability challenges in the sector. This year is fairly stable and this winter we will not load shed because the supply is high and the demand for power is low,” said Mothebe.

He added that even in the neighbouring South Africa, the demand for power is low resulting in surplus to export to the region including Botswana. Last year, Botswana, just like other countries in the region, was not  spared by the intermittent power cuts which affected production in the local industries.The power challenge hampered economic development significantly as business could not operate efficiently when there was a critical shortage of power and some had to use expensive power generators.

Mothebe also stated that as long as Morupule B power station is performing with two to three units, Botswana will not experience power challenges this winter period. Mothebe said to augment power deficit, most of the power is procured from the region, mainly SA’s Eskom but at times the company withdrew the supply when South Africa had power challenges.