Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) more than doubled the amount earned in electricity exports, helped in part by the floundering Morupule B power station.
The minerals and energy minister, Lefoko Moagi, told parliament that the state owned power utility earned P113 million in power exports for the financial year 2022/2023, significantly higher than P38.5 million earned in 2018 – which was the last time BPC exported electricity.
Moagi said the dependable generation capacity from Morupule A and Morupule B Power Stations is 450 megawatts and it is inadequate to meet the national electricity demand which ranges from 380 megawatts (off-peak) to 650 megawatts during peak period.
“It should, however, be noted that during off-peak times, the internal generation is more than adequate to meet demand hence BPC exports electricity to the Southern African Power Pool when supply exceeds demand. This is dependent on the performance of the Morupule B Power Station,” he said.
Botswana’s domestic electricity generation was at its highest in more than a decade last year, with the country seeking to be energy sufficient and ultimately be a net exporter of power.
According to Statistics Botswana’s recently released report on electricity generation and distribution, domestic power generation in 2022 was 3.2 million Megawatts per hour (MWH), up from the previous year’s 2.1 million MWH and significantly higher than 2012’s 703,213 MWH.
The Index of Electricity Generation (IEG) stood at 192.2 during the fourth quarter of 2022, reflecting an increase of 72.1 percent compared to the 111.7 recorded during the same period in 2021.
The physical volume of electricity generated in the last quarter of 2022 was 807,943 MWH, higher than 469,349 MWH during the fourth quarter of 2021. The increase was mainly attributed to improved output of both Morupule A and B power stations. The nation’s biggest power plant, Morupule B, accounted for 97.8 percent of generated electricity, while Orapa and Matshelagabedi emergency power stations contributed the remaining 1.3 and 0.9 percent respectively.
Due to improved local power generation, the volume of imported electricity has declined too in the past ten years. In 2022, Botswana imported 1.1 million MWH compared to 2021’s 1.7 million MWH. In 2012, the country was importing around 3 million MWH.
In the fourth quarter of 2022, imported electricity decreased by 49.2 percent to 276,257 MWH from 543,417 MWH during the last quarter of 2021. South Africa’s besieged power utility, Eskom, was the main source of imported electricity at 44.4 percent of total electricity imports. The Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) accounted for 20.9 percent, while Electricidade de Mozambique (EDM) provided 15.6 percent, Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) supplied 11 percent, and Cross-border electricity markets accounted for 8 percent of electricity imports.
The year-on-year perspective shows that the amount of distributed electricity increased from 3.9 million MWH in 2021 to 4.2 million MWH last year. Ten years ago, power distribution stood at 3.7 million MWH. The electricity generated locally contributed 74.5 percent to electricity distributed during the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to a contribution of 46.3 percent during the same quarter in 2021.
