Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) plays a critical role in powering Botswana’s economy and advancing the country’s energy transition and sustainable development goals. The Corporation generates electricity primarily from its coal-fired power plants at Morupule A (100 MW) and Morupule B (600 MW), complemented by emergency diesel plants at Orapa (90 MW) and Matshelagabedi (70 MW). Together, these facilities form the backbone of the national electricity supply, ensuring reliable energy for households, businesses, and key industries, and providing a strong foundation for continued economic growth and national development.

Botswana’s annual electricity consumption is currently estimated at approximately 4,800 GWh, with peak demand of around 700 MW. Demand has grown steadily at an average rate of about 5% per year, driven by population growth, expanding economic activity, and increased electrification across the country. With the implementation of the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP) and National Development Plan 12 (NDP12), electricity demand is expected to accelerate significantly. In response, Government has set a clear and ambitious vision: to position Botswana as a citizen – led regional energy hub, powering Africa while building a resilient, inclusive, and cleaner energy economy that supports long – term national prosperity.

As the BETP drives industrial expansion, economic diversification, and new investment, BPC is deliberately positioning its generation portfolio to support accelerated economic growth while enabling the transition to a greener economy.   In this context,  Government has set a clear target of 50% renewable energy contribution to the national energy mix by 2030, with BPC playing a central enabling role.

Energy sector development is guided by the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which provides a long-term, least-cost roadmap aligned with national development priorities, and BPC is actively implementing this plan. In the near term, generation performance is expected to improve in the final quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, following remediation works at Morupule B Power Station and the commercial operation of the 100 MWp Mmadinare Solar PV Plant. Together, these interventions are expected to increase the share of electricity demand met by local generation to at least 72% on a sustained basis, strengthening energy security, reducing reliance on power imports, and supporting Botswana’s transition toward a more resilient and diversified energy mix.

BPC is at the forefront of Botswana’s rapid expansion of renewable energy, particularly solar power.  With more than 3,200 hours of sunshine each year and some of the highest solar irradiation levels in the world, Botswana is exceptionally well positioned to lead in clean energy generation.  Working closely with Government and independent power producers(IPPs), BPC has already overseen the commissioning of 109.3 MWp of grid-connected solar PV capacity, including projects at Phakalane (1.3 MWp), Bobonong (3 MWp), Shakawe (1 MWp), Ghanzi (4 MWp), and the 100 MWp large-scale utility plant in Mmadinare which came into full commercial operation in the last quarter of 2025. The Jwaneng 100 MWp Solar Plant is also scheduled to commission in March 2026.

Looking ahead, Botswana is targeting the development of up to 1.3 GW of solar energy by 2030, with BPC at the centre of this transformation as the system operator and off-taker, ensuring project bankability and seamless integration into the national grid.

Importantly,  Botswana’s renewable energy rollout is deliberately structured to promote economic inclusion.  Smaller solar projects, up to 20 MW per site,  are reserved exclusively for 100% citizen-owned companies, ensuring that the clean energy transition drives local ownership, skills development, and sustainable business opportunities.

Beyond utility-scale generation, the energy transition is increasingly reaching rooftops and communities. The Rooftop Solar Programme allows households and small commercial and industrial customers to generate electricity and feed surplus power into the BPC grid. This distributed generation model strengthens energy security, reduces pressure on network infrastructure, and enables citizens to participate directly in the electricity value chain. To date, about 28 MW has already been commissioned under the programme, with implementation continuing toward a revised target of 75 MW.

Baseload generation remains a critical anchor of Botswana’s power system, particularly during the transition to higher levels of renewable energy. The IRP therefore makes provision for the development of additional baseload capacity to support system stability. As Botswana accelerates its shift toward cleaner energy, this baseload capacity will provide the operational flexibility required to integrate large volumes of intermittent renewable power while maintaining reliable supply.

Energy access in Botswana currently stands at 83% of all gazetted villages, placing the country among the leaders in electricity access in Sub-Saharan Africa. To ensure that electricity access is not constrained by grid reach, BPC is facilitating the development of off-grid solutions for hard-to-reach remote communities. Six villages have already been identified for off-grid electrification, removing geographical barriers and ensuring that no community is excluded from the energy transition.

Botswana’s energy transition is deliberate, progressive, and balanced. It is about carefully managing the trade-offs between energy security, affordability, and environmental responsibility, while ensuring that citizens and businesses benefit from the opportunities created by a modern energy system.

Following Botswana’s registration under the International Renewable Energy Certificates (I-REC) framework, BPC will soon offer Renewable Energy Certificates to customers seeking to decarbonize their operations, further supporting national and corporate climate objectives.

Through sustained investment in baseload capacity, rapid expansion of renewable energy, and intentional citizen participation, BPC is powering a future that is cleaner, fairer, and more resilient. This is the just energy transition in practice, one that keeps the lights on today, unlocks opportunity tomorrow, and positions Botswana as a confident regional energy hub for generations to come.