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Hunt continues for Coal to Liquid project investors

Urgent priority: Botswana, like other countries, is eyeing greater self-sufficiency in fuel
Urgent priority: Botswana, like other countries, is eyeing greater self-sufficiency in fuel

The Ministry of Minerals and Energy says a call for investors for the long-planned Coal to Liquids project did not identify a successful proposal, and authorities are now scouring specific markets to pitch the idea to investors.

Known as Ikaegeng XTL, the ambitious multi-billion-pula project has been in the works for more than a decade, which is seen as a transformational step towards fuel self-sufficiency. A previous attempt by government to self-finance the project was abandoned in July 2021 in favour of a PPP arrangement. At that time, Botswana Oil had a list of 11 companies, which it later whittled down to a shortlist of two.

The PPP process was kicked off via a Request for Proposals from November 2023 to February 2024, without a suitable investor being identified. The RfP sought proposals from “competent developers to design, build, finance, operate, maintain and transfer the Ikaegeng Coal-to-Liquid Fuels (CTL) Facility, to be built in Botswana on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis”.

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Editor's Comment
DIS must correct costly stalemate

More than P8.1 million has already been spent, yet there appears to be no lasting solution in sight. This is not simply a dispute between the DIS and a group of officers. It is a matter of public accountability. Every pula spent by government comes from taxpayers who expect public funds to be used wisely and responsibly, especially during economic hardships faced by many.The officers exercised their constitutional right to seek justice through...

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