- Electricity imports rise by 31.1% as Morphule power stations suffer operational challenges
According to data from Statistics Botswana (SB), Botswana’s electricity imports increased by 31.1% in Quarter 2 (Q2) 2021. Electricity imports rose by 109,923 Mega Watt Hour (Mwh) in Q1 to 463,171 Mwh in Q2. The latest data from SB shows that Bostwana imported 47.8% of electricity consumed in Q2 to meet its domestic demand.
Domestic electricity generation also decreased for the period under review by 14.3%. Electricity generation dropped by 84,584 Mwh to 505,313 Mwh from 589,899 Mwh recorded in Q1 2021. The drop in electricity generation is attributed to operational challenges at the Morupule B power station.
Botswana imports electricity from neighbouring countries with South Africa’s state-owned utility, Eskom supplying the bulk of electricity imports at 57.8%, while the South African Power Pool (SAPP), Namibia, Zambia and other cross-border electricity markets account for the remaining percentage.