Orapa power plant to be finally launched

| Monday October 10, 2011 00:00

 

According to a report in the Orapa Weekly News magazine, the P850-million power plant was initially scheduled to be launched on May 5, 2011 but this was postponed. 'The Orapa power plant which consists of two 45 MW dual fuel gas turbines designed and manufactured in the USA by General Electric is expected to contribute positively towards mitigating power shortage in Botswana.

'It will initially operate on diesel, with an option to switch to Coal Bed Methane (CBM) gas at a later stage,' read the report.In the report, Debswana Group Public and Corporate Affairs Manager, Esther Kanaimba Senai, noted that Debswana is excited to have invested in this project, which she said will not only ensure that the company minimises any impact on its business which might arise from shortage of electricity supply in Botswana, but will also benefit the nation at large.

This facility was implemented in close consultation with the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) and the Government. The plant is connected to the national power grid as it is expected to be handed over to the BPC at the launch.At full operation, the two turbines will consume 292, 000 litres of fuel for the eight hours per day that the plant will run. The BPC plans to convert the power station to gas-fired as soon as possible, in order to shave off operational costs.

According to experts, the conversion to CBM will cut 60 percent of costs at Orapa, lessening the weight on the BPC for the subsidisation of this power to consumers. Government and Debswana powered the Orapa station in order to address the country's immediate power needs, as demand continued to outstrip supply.