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Industry strongly rejects BPC tariff request

Under pressure: The BPC says its expenses are rising, while revenues remain stagnant or decline PIC PHATSIMO KAPENG
Under pressure: The BPC says its expenses are rising, while revenues remain stagnant or decline PIC PHATSIMO KAPENG

Industry bodies and other stakeholders have firmly rejected the Botswana Power Corporation’s (BPC) request for a 46% electricity tariff increase for the 2026–2027 financial year, with tensions mounting at a public hearing hosted by the Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA) this week.

At the hearing, miners led the charge, with a Debswana representative saying the proposed tariff came on the back of yet another increase in electricity costs.

“The electricity tariff for mining companies was increased by approximately 50% in July 2025,” said Lefoko Sethoko, asset management head of engineering at Debswana. “With the proposed additional 40% increase for the 2026 year, the cost of electricity for the high power-intensive mining industry will have nearly doubled within a short period.”

Editor's Comment
Violence doesn't solve anything!

Our weekly edition carries painful articles of people being murdered. Whilst some are classified as Gender Based Violence (GBV), there are still a large percentage of murder cases, which often happen at drinking spots, after people are heavily intoxicated. We have in the past carried articles where an individual was murdered because they refused to give someone a cigarette, and sadly this is where we are at now!In this very edition, there is an...

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