Page 10 - AsiaElec Week 47 2022

AsiaElec COAL GENERATION AsiaElec

India’s Jindal Steel & Power

wins tender to build 300MW

coal-fired plant in Botswana

INDIA BOTSWANA has chosen India’s industrial pow- be negotiated between the two parties.
erhouse, Jindal Steel & Power (JSP), as the pre- Botswana has over 200bn tonnes of coal
ferred bidder in a tender to build a 300-megawatt reserves, which the diamond-dependent coun-
(MW) coal-fired power plant, a notice from its try is monetising to fund economic devel-
energy ministry said on November 21. opment, despite recent pressure on the coal
It is the only fossil fuel-based power plant the industry due to climate change. Currently,
Southern African country plans to procure in state-owned Morupule Coal Mine and Miner-
the next 20 years, Reuters reports. The other two gy’s Masama are Botswana’s only operating coal
contenders in a three-way race were the BSE- mines.
listed coal miner, Minergy, and Australia-based Jindal Botswana head, Neeraj Saxena, did
mining and energy development firm, African not respond to enquiries. However, the com-
Energy Resources. pany told Reuters in November 2021 that it
“The contract (is) for the design, finance, would start building a coal mine in south-east-
construction, ownership, operation, mainte- ern Mmamabula coalfields in 2022, aiming to
nance and decommissioning at the end of its supply the export market and the planned coal
economic life ... of a 300MW net greenfield coal- power plant.
fired power plant in Botswana as an Independ- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered a
ent Power Producer,” the notice read, as cited by global energy crisis, boosting demand for coal.
Reuters. Botswana has in the past months ramped up
According to the media agency, Jindal will coal exports to Europe via Mozambique and
finance construction of the plant and recoup its Namibia, writes Reuters, with the country’s two
investments from selling electricity to the Bot- operating mines looking to secure more new
swana Power Corporation (BPC) under terms to deals. ™

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