Shumba buoyed by power plant�s environ nod

Staff Writer | Wednesday July 13, 2016 15:18

 

In a statement released recently, Shumba  said  the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism has approved the company’s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) documentation for a proposed coal mine and associated power station at Mabesekwa.

The company had also submitted a scoping report and has received approval on the terms of reference for the Sechaba Coal IPP project station and associated 400KV transmission line.

“We are delighted to have received ESIA approval for the MEIPP, which is a major milestone in the project. The ESIA together with the existing water rights, surface rights and completed feasibility studies bring us much closer to bringing the MEIPP into production,” Shumba stated. The approval gives impetus for the project, which is eyeing to export electricity from the power plant to South Africa.

Shumba, which has ambitions to become a significant regional energy producer within the next five years, sees the latest approval as bringing the company much closer to turning the Mabesekwa export IPP into a reality.

South Africa’s Department of Energy is seeking about 3,750MW of base load coal-fired power capacity from IPPs.

Jindal is another company in Botswana that is eyeing to export electricity to South Africa.