Botswana, Namibia to sign 5-GW solar plan

Bloomberg

Botswana and Namibia are set to sign an agreement to develop solar projects of as much as 5,000 megawatts through installations built across their mostly flat, sunny landscapes.
The southern African nations are working with US government initiative, Power Africa, to help structure
the deal, Namibian Mines and Energy Minister Tom Alweendo said in an interview. The electricity will mainly be exported across the region.
“The agreement to be signed will facilitate a full feasibility study that will determine the size and the location of the plants,” he said.
The ambitious plans signal a shift for both nations that import power from South Africa’s Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd.
The largest utility on the continent is struggling financially and operationally to meet demand. Adding 5,000 megawatts of renewable capacity would also further diversify the energy mix of the region, as Eskom mainly burns coal.
Botswana and Namibia have massive solar potential, but have yet to realise large-scale renewable projects.
South Africa had one of the fastest-growing renewable energy programs in the world, before government delays paralysed the effort.