Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) and Debswana Diamond Company have signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) on renewable energy certificates (RECs), marking a key step in the southern African country’s shift to clean energy.
Debswana, jointly owned by the Botswana government and De Beers Group, will leverage the partnership to source renewable electricity from upcoming solar plants under Botswana’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).
The company operates four diamond mines in Orapa, Letlhakane, Damtshaa, and Jwaneng.
“This initiative reflects Botswana’s commitment to the global climate agenda and supports the national IRP to build a cleaner, more resilient energy future,” said BPC chief executive David Kgoboko.
“With 1.5 GW of planned renewables and 50 MW already online at Mmadinare solar plant, BPC is delivering real progress towards a sustainable energy mix.”
The agreement establishes a framework to track and allocate renewable energy attributes through RECs, enabling Debswana to verify its clean energy usage and reduce emissions.
“Debswana’s decarbonisation strategy is structured around four key pillars which are: reducing energy intensity, transitioning to alternative fuels, decarbonising electricity supply, and carbon recovery initiatives,” said Debswana managing director Andrew Maatla Motsomi.
He said the company exceeded energy efficiency targets and deployed 1.6 MW of rooftop solar capacity.
Debswana is also piloting electric vehicles at its mines to cut diesel reliance while exploring carbon recovery technologies and nature-based solutions.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor-In-Chief, Rough & Polished
