Local solar generation hits historic figures
Lewanika Timothy | Monday July 13, 2026 06:00
According to Statistics Botswana figures, in the first quarter, electricity generation figures show that solar plants produced 82,519.96 megawatt hours (MWh), accounting for 9.1 percent of total domestic electricity generation.
The output marks a sharp increase from the 16,713MWh generated in the corresponding quarter of 2025, when solar contributed just 3.2 percent of local electricity production. This happened as the country onboarded solar power into the main grid from private generation sites selling to BPC.
“Quarter-on-quarter, local electricity generation increased by 20%, from 751,514MWh during the fourth quarter of 2025 to 901,903MWh during the period under review,”a Stats Botswana report says. “Solar power stations supplied 9.1 percent, reflecting the country’s growing commitment to renewable energy. “The integration of solar plants in Bobonong, Phakalane, Shakawe, and Mmadinare further illustrates ongoing efforts to diversify energy sources and enhance sustainability within the electricity generation mix.”
The latest figures also reflect the commissioning of additional solar infrastructure over the past year. Whilst the first quarter of 2025 generation came from facilities in Bobonong, Phakalane, and Shakawe, the 2026 statistics include output from the utility scale Mmadinare solar plant, boosting the country's renewable generation capacity.
Data also showed that growth in the country’s generation managed to reduce the value of imported electricity in the first quarter, with authorities attributing generation growth mainly to solar power generation.
The country reduced its electricity imports by close to 30% in the first quarter, falling from the peak imports registered last year when the troubled Morupule B power station experienced technical faults.
“Imported electricity decreased by 29.8% during the first quarter of 2026, compared to the previous quarter. “The significant decline of imported electricity is directly attributable to the substantial increase in domestic electricity generation. “In addition, the utilisation of solar for electricity generation has allowed the Botswana Power Corporation to prioritise cheaper local renewable energy over variable-priced imports from the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and South Africa’s Eskom,” the report stated.
The surge in solar generation comes as the BPC increasingly shifts from being solely a power producer to an electricity off-taker, procuring renewable energy from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) under long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). The model allows private investors to finance, build, own and operate generation facilities, whilst BPC purchases the electricity for supply into the national grid. Government has identified the IPP framework as the cornerstone of its strategy to rapidly expand generation capacity without placing the full financing burden on the fiscus.
The strategy has gathered momentum over the past two years with the commissioning of the 100MW Mmadinare Solar Project and the ongoing commissioning of the 100MW Jwaneng Solar Project. Beyond these, government has significantly expanded its renewable energy pipeline, replacing earlier, smaller proposals with utility-scale developments that include the 500MW Maun Solar PV project and planned 400MW solar facilities at Letlhakane and Isang. Collectively, the projects are expected to deliver about 1.5 gigawatts of new solar capacity over the coming years.
Botswana's renewable energy ambitions received a further boost this year through a government-to-government partnership with the Sultanate of Oman. The agreement will see Oman's Naqaa Sustainable Energy develop a 500MW solar photovoltaic plant with a 500MWh battery energy storage system in Maun under a 30-year power purchase agreement with BPC.
The project forms part of Botswana's broader target of raising renewable energy's contribution to the national electricity mix to 50% by 2030 whilst strengthening energy security, reducing imports and positioning the country as a future regional electricity exporter.
Coal-fired power stations at Morupule A and Morupule B, however, remain the backbone of domestic electricity supply, contributing 90.8% of total local generation during the quarter, Statistics Botswana figures show.