Domestic Power Hits 86% as Solar Capacity Comes Online
For decades, Botswana’s industrial growth was constrained by power shortages, reliance on regional imports, and volatile coal generation. Data from the 2026 national transformation report indicates an encouraging shift in national energy security, with domestic generation meeting 86% of Botswana’s electricity requirements during the first half of the 2026/27 financial year.
This performance helped drive an estimated 62% reduction in foreign electricity imports, which plunged from 492 GWh to 187 GWh. The shift was supported by improved plant performance at Morupule B alongside the completion and grid connection of 200 MW in clean solar photovoltaic capacity across the Mmadinare and Jwaneng solar projects. Furthermore, 82% of all villages across Botswana are now connected to the national electrical grid.
The administration’s long-term energy transition rests on three major pillars. First, the Government has initiated consultations regarding the unbundling and corporatisation of the Botswana Power Corporation, proposing to separate electricity generation from transmission and distribution while retaining sovereign oversight over the grid. Second, following the Mmadinare and Jwaneng additions, a Power Purchase Agreement was signed in April 2026 for a 500 MW solar photovoltaic facility in Maun paired with 500 MWh of utility battery storage, while an additional 400 MW of solar capacity is planned across Letlhakane and Isang. Botswana also secured approval to issue internationally recognised renewable-energy certificates under the I-REC system.
Third, a private investment program exceeding US$1 billion, or over P14 billion, led by Energan is being mobilized to rehabilitate 132 MW at Morupule A, construct 600 MW of new capacity in two phases, deploy 300 MW of solar with battery storage, build cross-border power-trading links, and power an on-site 10 MW data centre. Parallel progress is taking shape in liquid fuels, as the state received its first direct bilateral shipment of 20 million litres of petroleum products from Oman in October 2026, diversifying import channels away from traditional supply routes.
