SAPP looks to capital markets for funding

SAPP has engaged Mercados, an energy consultant from Spain, to assess the Botswana Power Corporation and utilities from Mozambique, Zambia and Lesotho with a view to enhancing their credit rating and thus their ability to negotiate affordable credit in local and international markets.

The need for higher credit ratings for SAPP members is driven by the need for the region to generate at least 47, 000 megawatts of new power in the next 15 to 20 years, requiring investments running into hundreds of billions of pula. All utilities and their governments in the 12-member strong SAPP will be unable to raise the amount of capital needed to ensure that lights stay on in the region by 2030.