Page 10 - AfrElec Week 28 2021

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

COAL want us to stop, for us it means a lot for our conditions by increasing the attractiveness of
economy.” its self-consumption regime.
Botswana turns to China construction of a rail link to South Africa the barriers to unleashing the development of
Key to developing the projects is the
This is according to a new study examining
At a time when funding for fossil fuel projects of as long as 125 km at a cost of $150mn to decentralised routes to market for renewable
is drying up, Botswana is racing to develop $250mn, according to a slide presented to energy sources in Tunisia. Think tank
six new coal mines and a rail link for exports, the Chinese investors. The line, capable of RES4Africa Foundation and Swiss-Finnish
with the government prepared to put its own transporting as much as 25mn tons a year, EPC AFRY collaborated on the study within
money into the projects, Bloomberg reported. would channel coal to the South African rail the framework of the Foundation’s strategic
The southern African nation, the world’s system that runs to its ports. programme, RES4MED.
second-biggest diamond producer, has more While South Africa has had a substantial That framework sets up a benchmark
than 200bn tons of untapped coal reserves. coal-export industry for decades, landlocked comparison with other states such as Egypt,
To kickstart the industry, it has turned Botswana’s deposits have remained largely Chile and India, featuring similar conditions
to investors from the largest global coal untapped. The government does own the in the renewable energy market.
consumer, China. Morupule coal mine and has supported Tunisia is one of the most dynamic and
“The country has good resources another operation, the Masama mine owned fast-paced renewable energy markets in
which are close to the surface,” Robson by Minergy Ltd. the MENA region, according to the study’s
Mugomba, acting chief executive officer of The state is now willing to put its own introduction. The country aims to reach
the government’s Minerals Development money into projects to ensure they get to 30% renewables penetration on domestic
Company Botswana, told a virtual meeting production, according to Mugomba. generation by 2030.
of Chinese investors last week. “With the “These opportunities are subjected to RES4AFRICA
resources we have, we could offer potential detailed evaluation looking at potential
investors really attractive opportunities.” returns,” he said. “We check against our
The appeal to the group led by the Africa portfolio to see if there’s a path to funding SUPPLY
Guangdong Business Association comes as these.”
banks are increasingly shying away from Heavy windstorm disrupts
funding coal projects because of its impact
on global warming. Yet demand for the fuel, The Gambia’s electricity,
especially in Asia, remains high and prices RENEWABLES
have risen to a record because of tight supply. water supply
Prices for the fossil fuel are rising as Asian Tunisia: Renewable energy
power demand rebounds It is approaching 24 hours since people in The
Botswana wants to take advantage of sector poised for growth Gambia has been without water and electricity
what it sees as a period when coal will still following a heavy windstorm that damages
be in demand before being replaced by other RES4Africa Foundation and AFRY, a the service poles on Wednesday night.
cleaner forms of energy. Swedish-Finnish engineering, consulting and The windstorm was accompanied by
“We have that window,” Charles Siwawa, design company, said Tunisia could achieve persisting lightning and thunder before it
CEO of Botswana’s Chamber of Mines, said in its decentralised renewable energy sector led to a heavy downpour of rains across the
an interview. “We have a lot of coal and even development by opening its market to private Greater Banjul Area. Homes, schools, and
if we gain $10bn between now and when they investors and improving the energy off-taking offices have since been affected, disrupting

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 28 15•July•2021