Electricity woes: The timeline
Staff Writer | Friday December 5, 2014 13:55
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 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 14th December 2007. Morupule B budget announced at US$1.7 billion (P11.2 billion).
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
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: 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: 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 8.5 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: 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: Two units break down at Morupule B in early September, followed by the last two in October, forcing the BPC to completely rely on regional imports – mostly from Eskom – and the emergency diesel power. The collapse sees the intermittent return of loadshedding around the country
2014: At least one of the units at Morupule B sputters back to life in late October, easing the weight of power imports and purchases
2014: Media reports early in December say three units are operational at Morupule B, but with a combined capacity of only 300 megawatts instead of 600MW. The balance, reports say, is mainly sourced from South Africa and the region.