Jindal Africa’s has so far injected over P715 million into the Mmamabula Energy Project as the power station and coal mine project slowly takes shape.
Officially rolled out in October 2023, the public-private partnership project between Jindal Africa and the government of Botswana aims to bolster the energy sector.
Under the partnership, Jindal Africa is set to construct, own and operate a 300MW coal-fired power station at Mmamabula through a long-term power purchase agreement signed with Botswana Power Corporation (BPC).
The plant, powered by coal from Mmamabula coal mine, will supply power to BPC for 30 years.
With an initial capital investment of P28 billion, the project has the capacity to expand to 600MW.
It has already created over 300 jobs which are set to double within the next two months.
Additionally, Jindal is constructing a 30km tarred road from the Tropic of Capricorn to the project site with an investment of over P300 million.
However the total jobs expected are 1500 and more by the end of 2025 though the construction phase is expected to create 5,000 jobs and 1,000 permanent employment opportunities once the plant is fully operational.
“We’ve already started groundwork, including area grading, construction of water and power infrastructure, development of workers’ camps, and grading of the power plant area. Procurement for major equipment, such as boilers and turbines, is also underway. We anticipate beginning civil works in the next two months, and by the end of this year,” said Jindal Energy Botswana’s Country Director and Project Lead, Neeraj Saxena.
Expected to feed power into the national grid by 2028, the Jindal project is sitting on 3 billion tonnes of untapped coal, presenting a strategic opportunity for energy exports as as regional demand rises.
“This is the first project of its kind in Botswana, where the private sector is fully financing the entire initiative. The financial risk lies solely with Jindal,” Saxena emphasised.
