BOTSWANA – Botswana-focused coalbed methane (CBM) developer Tlou Energy has signed a contract for the construction of a transmission line to link its Lesedi power project to the country’s grid.
Lesedi is located approximately 100 Km from the existing electricity grid in Botswana. The first stage of development will be the erection of wooden poles fitted with an overhead 66kV transmission line, capable of supplying up to 25MW of power into the grid.
The line will commence at Lesedi and run across predominantly flat, arid terrain. The final ~5 Km traverses the outskirts of the Serowe township, where the line will join the existing grid.
“Commencement of transmission line construction represents a new and exciting phase for the Company aimed at delivering on our huge gas-to-power potential and starting the monetization process for our considerable gas reserves,” said Tony Gilby, Managing Director, Tlou.
The energy company has identified Zismo Engineering and plans to engage them in the construction of the transmission line.
Based in Botswana, Zismo is an experienced, electrical engineering, contracting, automation, and refurbishment company.
Zismo expects to mobilize plant and equipment on-site in the coming weeks. The project is expected to take approximately 15 months to complete. The Company will provide further updates as the line progresses.
The Lesedi power project is expected to add to the country’s grid-electrification to serve more of its population.
Currently, Botswana electricity access has reached 77% of the population in urban areas, while in rural areas is still limited to 37%, although increasing.
The national overall electricity access rate is 60%. The Global Tracking Framework estimates the national access to clean cooking solutions at 64%.
The country with regards to energy access is ensuring improved security of supply and reliability of energy supply to all sectors of the economy. The government has set national electricity access target of 100% by 2030.
The country relies mainly on electricity, coal, fuelwood, and petroleum for its energy demands.
Renewable energy resources for Botswana are solar, wind, and various forms of bioenergy that include biofuels and biomass wastes.
Botswana has no perennial rivers and large dams and therefore has no potential for hydro-power.
Regarding solar, Botswana has direct normal irradiation (DNI) of 3000kwh/m2/year, which is among the highest in the world.
The area bordering Botswana, South Africa, and Namibia is among the areas with the highest DNI. It is estimated that using less than 1% of the country area, Botswana could meet its current electricity consumption.
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