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BOL finalises preps for P30bn coal-to-fuel project

Black gold: The country’s abundant coal resources could power its fuel self-sufficiency PIC: MINERGY.COM
Black gold: The country’s abundant coal resources could power its fuel self-sufficiency PIC: MINERGY.COM

State-owned petroleum utility, Botswana Oil, has finalised studies towards the eagerly awaited $2.5 billion (P30 billion) coal to liquids plant and is due to launch a fresh hunt for private sector partners by mid-year, BusinessWeek has learnt.

Known as Ikaegeng XTL (coal-to-liquid), the ambitious project aims to tap into the billions of tonnes of coal lying untapped in the country, with technology applied to produce various petroleum products for domestic use.

While 11 companies were shortlisted for the project after a prequalification tender in August 2017, Botswana Oil (BOL) has since repackaged Ikaegeng as a Public Private Partnership initiative and finalised a feasibility study showing that nearly 3,000 jobs could be created during construction and operation.

Editor's Comment
No room for perjury

It seems some government accounting officers, sworn to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing else but the truth" before Almighty God, may have deliberately lied during the committee’s vital work. If proven, this is not merely unprofessional; it is perjury, a serious criminal offence and it strikes at the very heart of responsible government.The PAC’s role is fundamental. After each financial year, it painstakingly examines how public...

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