Botswana’s President, Duma Boko, has announced he entered into an agreement with the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, for the development of a 500 MW solar project with battery storage.
Reports from Reuters state that Oman’s NAQAA Sustainable Energy LLC, a subsidiary of state-owned renewable energy company O-Green, has been selected to design, finance, construct and operate the solar project.
Set to be located in the town of Maun within Botswana’s northwestern region, the project is expected to have a minimum operational life of 25 years.
President Boko has posted on social media that a groundbreaking ceremony will take place for the project on April 16. He added that the solar project will allow the country to secure its energy future and unlock long-term economic value.
Botswana currently has 181.5 MW of operational solar, according to the Africa Solar Industry Association’s (AFSIA) project database.
The country is targeting a 50% contribution from renewable sources to its national energy mix by 2030, up from around 8% today.
