Orapa plant to ease load shedding-Marole

PATRICIA MAGANU
Staff Writer | Tuesday May 18, 2010 00:00

Minister Ponatshego Kedikilwe was accompanied by his Permanent Secretary, Gabaake Gabaake.

The two major projects toured were a 90-megawatt power plant and a one-million cubic metre storm water dam.The water project was initiated solely by the mining company while the energy project involves the mine and the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC).

Debswana Managing Director Blackie Marole said the power plant project is being undertaken as a response to the current national power shortage which is anticipated to continue beyond 2010.

'For years, BPC provided all the advice because we knew we had to do something extraordinary. The board approved at the right time and the ministry gave us the go-ahead,' he said.

After that OLM, BPC and the government formed a partnership to embark on the project. 'Since electricity is not in our area of business, we entered into an agreement with BPC so that the project would be transferred to them on completion,' Marole said.

The project is fully funded by the government and managed by Debswana. The whole project will cost P850 million and the mine has had to source equipment from outside Botswana.

OLM General Manager Metla Masire said they had to buy two turbines from Houston, USA to be able to put up the quality power plant they are anticipating.

'The turbines cost US$37 million,' he said. The diesel consumption of the turbines is 17, 000 litres per hour per unit. The project has been on-going for 11 months and it is expected to be completed by October.

Masire said between OLM and Jwaneng Mines, they consume approximately 85MW and so it is anticipated that since this plant is 90MW, it should assist Debswana minimise the impact of the power shortage on its business while enabling it to maintain its production levels.

Masire said at the moment the turbines are being installed, the alignment is in progress and that there are 200 people currently on site for the project. The electrical and control building is progressing well and the multifunction building will be completed in June or July.

The storm water project is the mine's 'baby,' according to the Engineering Manager, Moemedi Tseleng, who said that diamond mining consumes millions of cubic metres of water during production by nature.

'In 2009, Orapa and Letlhakane Mines commissioned the construction of a million cubic metre storm water dam whose primary objective is to harvest rainwater,' he said.

He said that before the commissioning of this project, the mines relied on underground water and recycled water for their day-to-day mining activities. He said that the project is one of the initiatives Debswana put in place as part of their contribution to water conservation.

Tseleng said much of Orapa's surface area is paved, and because the water is being collected from running water and rooftops, it is an advantage to the project. He said the collection dam is 350, 000 cubic metres while the transfer dam is 650, 000 cubic metres.

Tseleng said that the project has the potential to recover the total project cost in about two years.

'The project cost is P58 million,' he said. 'So far in the first year, the total cost benefit is P38, 917, 633, which means the project will recover the money in about two years.