Morupule colliery expansion benefits Palapye

ONALENNA MODIKWA
Staff Writer | Tuesday August 31, 2010 00:00

Operations readiness manager for the mine, Koolatotse Koolatotse, has told Mmegi Business that the facility has a workforce of 320 people, but after expansion, the number will increase to 500.  Another 500 workers will be hired for the expansion project.

Koolatotse stated that the mine is committed to give priority to locals in employment, especially those with skills.  'For unskilled labour, we only hire locals and for skilled labour, we recruit within the borders, but if there is a shortage, we import with a view to get the expatriates to train citizens,' he said.  He explained that as a result of expansion, the demand for accommodation, food, water and business opportunities have increased in Palapye and surrounding areas.  'This has a direct link to the development of Palapye. It has set a platform for the village to develop from a village to a town status and we are proud of it as a company,' he said.  Though the main contractor is a foreign company, many local firms have been sub-contracted to carryout construction of roads, trenches and to conduct environmental impact assessment.  However, Koolatotse said they are faced with the challenge of getting locals with the necessary skills because Morupule colliery is the only coal mine in the country, hence there are few people with the required training and knowledge. Currently, the mine plans to mitigate the situation by taking local workers for intensive training.

On the negative side, he acknowledged development can increase the rate of crime and the police have been made fully aware of the situation. 'Influx of contractors will also be acknowledged and we expect high rates of HIV/AIDS prevalence,' he added.

He said the expansion project is at the execution stage and they are on track to deliver the first coal to Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) as scheduled in June next year.  The expansion work will cost over P1 billion. Koolatotse said the expansion of the mine is necessary because of the high demand for electricity in the country. Botswana needs 550MW per day, but only produces 100 from the coal-fired Morupule Power Station.

The 450MW deficit is met through imports from Eskom of South Africa (250MW) and the Southern African Power Pool (200MW). 'South Africa has indicated that it will cut off its supply to Botswana in 2012 so we are faced with a challenge to produce more than 450mw internally to align the supply to demand,' Koolatotse said.

He asserted that with Botswana's huge coal deposits, the country has enough capacity to generate excess power.  Morupule colliery currently produces one million tonnes of coal per annum, but with expansion the figure will rise to three million per year.  The mine has entered into a coal sales agreement with its main customer, BPC.  It also supplies BCL and Botash mines.