Botswana Renewable Energy Scale Up Support

Botswana has a significant solar potential receiving over 3,200 hours of sunshine per year with an average insolation on a flat surface of 21 MJ/m.

This rate of irradiation is among the highest in the world.

There is also wind potential. Regions with the highest wind potential are located in the South-West and Eastern parts

of Botswana, with average wind speeds above 7 m/s, and a wind power density above 200 W/m2.

In the energy sector, the National Development Plan 11 in Botswana focuses on increasing self-reliance on the

country’s energy resources.

Being part of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and due to its geographical position, interconnections (existing and planned) offer opportunities for electricity export and imports to/from the region.

A proposed Technical Assistance of $3.56 million Renewable Energy Trust Fund (RETF) grant from the World Bank (WB), is envisaged to support a series of preliminary studies to scale up public investments in shared infrastructure for solar and wind parks as well as transmission infrastructure (grid upgrades for Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) integration, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), etc.), and unlock private investments in renewable energy generation.

This Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) therefore addresses stakeholder engagement in relation to the Project activities as well as stakeholder engagement to be covered in the planning and execution of downstream investments (to be detailed further in studies carried out under Component 2).

A summary of the SEP will be translated to local languages spoken to allow for broad stakeholder engagement through key public engagements to allow for broad engagement in environmental and social management. Should the beneficiaries identify any other appropriate languages within the Project areas, the stakeholder engagement and summary of the document shall be conducted and translated in these languages.

The proposed grant’s development objective is to enable renewable energy development in Botswana to

advance the country’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).

It will support renewable resource assessment, site

studies and Environmental and Social (E&S) studies for solar and wind park infrastructure, transaction advisors for renewable energy Independent Power Producers (IPPs), with an aim to identify a potentially suitable location and bankability of the proposed activities, and capacity-building activities to support

Renewable Energy (RE) development.

All stakeholders are encouraged to be involved in the consultation process, however, should there be need to limit participation due to the pandemic considerations through media options are to be put in place for all project information to reach stakeholders.

Equal access to information is provided to all stakeholders.