The technical assistance project supports the Government of
Botswana in closing critical gaps in policy, regulatory and legal frameworks,
which were identified at the Africa Energy Market Place (AEMP 2019).
These include the introduction of least-cost planning,
reduction of adverse environmental impacts and support for increased private
sector participation in renewable energy (RE) generation investments.
Some of the notable outputs from the project include a
national Grid Code, Electricity Cost of Service Study (CoSS) and licensing
framework to regulate power sector activities.
The outputs from the project will contribute towards the
implementation of Botswana's first Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), thus
facilitating investments in new solar PV and wind generation capacity,
amounting to at least 100MW and 50MW, respectively, by 2030.
Through its support for the further development of the
renewable energy generation sector in Botswana, the project also contributes to
the Mega Solar initiative, launched in 2021 in collaboration with Namibia and
development partners, with the aim of building renewable energy capacity in the
two countries, to enable electricity exports to the rest of the region.
Conceptualised under SEFA's Green Baseload component, the
project "will contribute to the development of essential building blocks
to support Botswana's energy transition ", said Dr. Daniel Schroth, Acting
Director for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at the African Development
Bank.
"It has been a long journey to access this AfDB grant
facility," observed Duncan Morotsi, Chief Operating Officer at the
Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA), "The approval is a great step
forward in the regulator's quest to facilitate independent power producers
(IPPs), renewable energy sources and cost reflective tariffs in Botswana. It
was worthwhile pursuing this technical assistance from the AfDB".