Botswana should make its own way on coal
Correspondent | Tuesday April 11, 2017 16:35
Is Botswana on the wrong side of climate change by digging new coal mines and using the stuff to make electricity?
A mine at Morupule, 240 kilometres north-east of Gaborone, provides coal to a nearby power station that generates 80 per cent of the country’s output.
And Government has made clear that fossil fuel will be part of a diversification away from gems. For now, diamonds account for nearly two thirds of export revenue, and a drop in the world price would see a fall in GDP that could be catastrophic.
In 2012, the Morupule Mine was expanded, tripling output to more than three million tons a year. If that sounds a lot, Botswana sits on an estimated 200 billion tons of coal. And much of it lies just 80 metres or less below the soil.
The green lobby will tell you to leave it there, but a new mood is afoot.
Donald Trump has pledged to bring back the great pits of Wyoming and along the Appalachian Mountains where thousands have lost their jobs.
New, clean-burn technology has revolutionised the industry in Australia, Europe, even India, and Trump has pledged money to bring emissions down further.
Two-thirds of America’s energy comes from fossil fuel and in latest figures, coal supply has jumped more than 20 per cent.
But no one in the US or Europe has to worry about keeping the lights on.
By contrast, more than 600 million Africans are not connected to the grid. Environmentalists say that solar would be a better and quicker option, but it hasn’t been the case in India
The state of Maharashtra around the financial capital, Mumbai, has seen more than 1,700 villages and settlements plunged into darkness after thieves stole solar panels, only recently installed by Government.
Across Africa, Asia and South America, guarding panels has become a problem, with police, private security and even the army on patrol 24/7.
At night, solar energy has to be stored in giant batteries with limited life. And when its cloudy, generation can fall by 90 per cent.
Even in China, hailed for its move to cleaner fuel, solar makes up less than one per cent of the power supply, though this will grow. And while new mines have been shelved, Beijing is building 79 coal-fired plants in countries like Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia and across the Balkans.
In a single week, China imports five times more coal than Botswana mines in a year and, for Gaborone, leaving a valuable resource in the ground is not an option. Talks with Namibia have reached an advanced stage to build a rail line between the coalfields of western Botswana and Walvis Bay 1500 kilometres away.
And new power plants will see the country not only self-sufficient, but exporting kilowatts to South Africa.
With the Kgalagadi desert covering much of the country, there’s no reason why solar shouldn’t be part of the mix. Hydropower has potential on the Chobe River and wind turbines have shown their worth across Britain and Europe.
But nothing matches coal when deposits are so large and near the surface.
The challenge is to ensure that, unlike much of Africa, everyone in Botswana can simply flick a switch and enjoy what the developed world takes for granted.