BPC to remotely cut households� load
Pauline Dikuelo | Thursday April 23, 2015 18:00
Power shortages are anticipated this winter due to increased demand while supply will be constricted by below capacity generation from Morupule B coupled with constrained imports from Eskom.
Effective April, 28, 2015, BPC will commence the Demand Side Management (DSM) initiative, to remotely manage power usage that might strictly limit people from using heaters or electrical stoves. The initiatives will entail domestic and small business customers required to maintain loads within 10A (2300Watts) during peak periods (6-10am & 6-10pm).
Exceeding the set load limit will lead to automatic disconnecting power supply, which can only be restored after a period of one hour.
“It is worth noting that continued non-compliance to the set load limit will lead to the power being supplied after the peak period (4 hours). The stipulated 10A will typically allow customers to use atleast 10 CFL lights and the television; any other appliances besides these should be switched off. The normal supply of 60A will be restored when power is available,” reads a press release from BPC.
The programme will be used as a first step when there is shortage of power so as to minimise load shedding and this strategy will only work whenever demand outstrips supply. The programme will only be covering Gaborone, Francistown, Lobatse Selibe Phikwe and Jwaneng. In an interview with Mmegi Business, BPC marketing and communications manager, Spencer Moreri said that the five areas are chosen because of their high consumption and the smart meter technology installed in these areas. He added that DMS is part of the ongoing efficiency campaigns that are geared towards averting load shedding. The press release further stated that this programme is one of strategy to alleviate deficit challenges envisaged by the Corporation. Efforts are intended to keep load shedding as minimal as possible during peak demand as well as creating equity in the conservation of electricity. This comes after the corporation anticipated power supply challenges during the winter (peak) season, due to low generation capacity and high demand of power within the region during winter.
There are currently only two units operating at the 600MW Morupule B power plant, which might prompt possibilities of load shedding.
The plant has been plagued by regular boiler failures in the past two years leading to widespread power cuts. The South Africa’s Eskom, on the other hand is also faced with severe power shortages, a development that might limit Botswana exports to just a minimal 100MW instead of the maximum 300MW.
Minister of Minerals Energy and Water Resources, Kitso Mokaila had earlier said that plans are underway to extend the import agreement with South Africa’s Eskom, which ends in December this year to 2018. Under the Eskom agreement, BPC can import 100MW on a firm basis, which can be increased by an additional 200MW when available.
BPC also has other import agreement with power utilities in Mozambique, Zambia and Namibia. In a bid to augument local generation for the forth-coming winter season, BPC is also expanding generation capacity of its recently acquired Matshelagabedi power station to 105 MW from 70 MW by May 2015. Power imports rose by 36 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, as boiler leakages at Morupule B debilitated the power plant’s generation capacity. According to figures by Statistics Botswana, importation of electricity increased by 35.9 percent to 510,100 Mega Watt Hour (MWH) between the forth quarter of 2014 and the same quarter of 2013. Last year, all four units at Morupule B power plant had broken down, placing the country in a precarious position of relying on imports for 100 percent of its needs.