A chronology of the power crisis
Mbongeni Mguni | Friday March 21, 2014 15:49
1998 - South Africa’s Eskom issues a white paper to neighbouring countries warning of probable power shortages starting in 2008.
2000 - The Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) and Eskom ink an eight-year supply deal to expire in December 2007 for 410MW.
2003 - Five SADC utilities from Botswana, DRC, Angola, Namibia and South Africa establish the Western Power Corridor to produce 3,500MW of hydrothermal power from the Inga 3 rapids in the DRC.
2003 - BPC commissions a generation expansion feasibility study for Morupule A. The study recommends that 6 x100 MW units be installed in progressive stages up to 2023. The study is updated in 2006 to a 4 x 150MW.
2007 - First public consultation meeting is held with the Palapye community on the proposed power station, following completion of technical studies and designs in previous years
2007 - The tender for the construction of the Morupule B Power Station closes on December 14, 2007. Morupule B budget announced at US$1.7 billion (P11.2 billion). Funding subsequently procured from Standard Bank/ICBC, World Bank, African Development Bank in 2009, with another 50 percent coming from government.
2007 - Parliament approves amendments to Electricity Supply Act liberalising the electricity generation industry.
2008 - BPC signs new five-year contract with Eskom on a sliding scale from 350MW to 150MW over the years.
2008 - BPC initiates first national loadshedding programme in April as Eskom supplies dwindle.
2008 - BPC signs Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract with China National Electric Equipment Corporation (CNEEC)/Shenyang Blower Works consortium.
2009 - Official EPC contract commences on April 29 with completion of all four units due in 42 months or October 2012.
2009 - BPC signs three-year power supply deal for 70MW with American firm, APR for the provision of power from an emergency diesel plant at Matshelagabedi.
2011 - BPC begins receiving power from the 90MW dual-fuel Orapa power station, built in partnership with Debswana.
2012 - First unit at Morupule B becomes operational in July 2012.
2012 - Generation activities at Morupule A suspended in August due to equipment failure associated with age.
2012 - October deadline for Morupule B completion sails by with government explaining that delays are due to a combination of avoidable and non-avoidable factors.
2013 - Operational issues plague completed units at Morupule B, which BPC pledges and manages to resolve by July 31, 2013.
2013 - Government announces that three units are up and running at Morupule B with the last due before year end after undergoing repairs.
2013 - Government issues Requests for Expressions of Interest in respect of two 300MW tenders; one as an expansion of Morupule B and another as a greenfield. Both tenders are for Independent Power Producers.
2013 – Morupule B’s Unit 3 fails on boiler-related faults, leaving Units 1 and 4 the only operational at the power station.
2013 – Parliamentarians begrudgingly approve P1.1 billion in supplementary budget funding of the BPC, arising from costs of imported power and operations due to the non-availability of full Morupule B capacity.
2014 – Loadshedding of up to three hours returns in January in and around urban areas in Gaborone which the BPC attributes to faults and rainy weather.
2014 – The 2014/15 budget proposes P1.5 billion for the BPC’s operations and maintenance, while an average 10 percent increase is also unveiled to kick off in April.
2014 – Morupule B completely shuts down for one week after Units 1 and 4 develop faults.
2014 – The country experiences unprecedented levels of loadshedding after Eskom cuts its supplies by two-thirds citing shortages in that country. Unit 4 at Morupule B also fails again, leaving Unit 1 the sole operational.
2014 – Government announces that Units 3 and 2 have been re-modified and will be restored to the national grid between April and May while Unit 4 will be restored in June. All units will be taken down in phases after winter for maintenance and reassessment.
2014 – Government announces the ongoing negotiations to rope in an American company to conduct a root cause analysis.