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Norway firm budgets P650m for Phikwe solar plant

Free but pricey: The natural raw material for solar is free, while operating costs are also very low. However, the high start-up expenses are where most projects flounder
Free but pricey: The natural raw material for solar is free, while operating costs are also very low. However, the high start-up expenses are where most projects flounder

Scatec ASA is mobilising funding to the tune of $49 million (P650 million) required to build the 50-megawatt solar plant at Selebi-Phikwe, the country’s single largest renewable project to date.

The Norwegian firm won a highly contested tender for the contract last August and this week published an estimate for the costs, as part of disclosures in its annual report.

The project is being done on an Independent Power Producer (IPP) basis, where Scatec will bear the costs of building, running, and maintaining the plant with the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) purchasing the power under a 25-year agreement.

Editor's Comment
Gov't must guard against cadre deployment

As the Botswana National Front (BNF) discusses a policy to place suitably qualified members in strategic positions, the guiding consideration should remain whether an individual is the best person to serve the country. There is nothing wrong with qualified party members applying for public positions. Political affiliation should neither disqualify a capable candidate nor give them an advantage over others. Every Motswana deserves a fair...

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