Government will spend over P3 billion to undertake the next phase of North West Transmission Grid project.
This was revealed by Minister of Minerals & Energy Hon Bogolo Kenewendo when presenting the Ministry’s budget proposals for the next financial year in Parliament in March.
Kenewendo highlighted that transmission infrastructure is an integral component of power generation, enabling the transmission of electricity from generation sources to load centers within the country and to the Southern African Power Pool market. “The Botswana transmission grid needs to be extended to provide access to all customers” She said.
The Minister revealed that one of the major grid extension projects is the North West Transmission Grid Phase project, which is being implemented in two phases.
Phase 1, which entailed the grid connection of Maun, Ghanzi, and Shakawe to the national grid, was completed in 2021.
The Ministry has since embarked on Phase 2 of the project, which will see the connection of Pandamatenga and Kasane to the national grid. The said areas are currently being supplied through limited cross-border distribution networks from Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The North West Transmission Grid Phase 2 is estimated to have a budget of approximately BWP 3 billion.
The Project is aimed at providing power supply to the Zambezi Integrated Agro-Commercial Development and the planned Water Transfer Scheme project. The project will also provide a backbone for grid interconnection with Zambia.
Other key interconnectors that the Ministry is developing in collaboration with the relevant counterparts include the Botswana-South Africa interconnector, which will enhance power exports to South Africa and other member countries of the Southern African Power Pool.
Furthermore Kenewendo told parliament that the Ministry continues to electrify new villages and extend networks in already electrified villages.
To date, 463 out of 565 villages (82%) have been electrified. In the financial year 2024/25, twenty (20) new villages are being electrified, and network extensions are being done in ninety-two (92) villages. These are expected to be completed during the financial year 2025/26.
