Govt invites bids for solar power plants
Thursday, July 09, 2015
a solar power plant
In an Expression of Interest (EOI) notice published on Tuesday, the government of Botswana invited bids from companies interested in building and operating a solar power station to supply Jwaneng as well as the northwest region, where copper mines are sprouting. “This invitation is a request for expression of interest to construct, operate, maintain and decommission at the end of its economic life, a scalable solar power plant,” the notice read.
The notice, however, did not specify the capacity wanted, but the Minerals, Energy and Water Resources ministry has previously stated the government should place 100MW solar power tenders, which would be equally split between Jwaneng and the northwest mines.
It is a clear signal that the government’s purse is empty and that our own behaviour has left veterinary officials fighting with one hand tied behind their backs. We have been here before. During COVID-19, many of us thought we knew better. We ignored simple rules, we carried on as if the danger was someone else’s problem, and the virus took lives and left our economy on its knees. We are still broke from that experience. Yet now, with FMD...