The two neighbouring Southern African countries signed a power deal last week that will see the moribund Bulawayo Power station operating in June 2010.
Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources (MEWR), Mr Ponatshego Kedikilwe and his Zimbabwean counterpart Mr Engineer Elias Mudzuri met in Botswana's second capital, Francistown to sign the deal.
The ministers agreed to address transmission constraints in the Zimbabwe power grid to facilitate increased power transfers through the country. It was agreed at the meeting that short term measures be introduced to restore optimal generation capacity of Bulawayo power station by June 2010 and to enhance transmission capacity at the Zimbabwe power grid.
Botswana and Zimbabwe are scheduled to sign an Inter-Governmental Memorandum of Understanding by the end of next month. A communique at the end of the meeting said the ministers resolved to create an enabling environment to facilitate closer cooperation between the two countries in the power sector.
The ministers meeting on Friday resolved that the two countries should identify energy projects to be developed. Such projects include the extension of the Beira-Harare fuel pipeline to Botswana and developing renewable energy. The shift is meant to improve energy security and access to clean energy in the two countries.
Permanent Secretary in MEWR, Mr Gabaake Gabaake said the inter-governmental Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed by November this year to pave way for the rehabilitation of the Bulawayo power station through the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) and the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA).
"The shortage of power experienced in the country, which he said will be worse in the next two years, has made. Next year, South Africa will reduce its power supply to Botswana by 100 megawatts, adding that the electricity supply from outside and Morupule is able to meet the demand leaving no room for reserve electricity," he said.
He said they have signed an agreement for a 70 megawatts rented power from Matsiloje as a way of addressing the
According to Gabaake they had to come up with strategies to mitigate costs while at the same time giving electricity to Batswana and the rehabilitation of Bulawayo power station was cheaper and affordable than the Matsiloje and Orapa projects.
"The 90 megawatts produced by the power station, Botswana will get about 40 megawatts for a period of three years and Zimbabwe also has the problem of power shortage. The Bulawayo power station ceased operations last year, and the advantage is that it has not lost its employees.
The two ministers' meeting was a follow up to their previous meetings in Mozambique in April.
There the ministers directed their two national power utilities to develop short term intervention measures to address the power supply and demand mismatch, which if not adequately addressed will stifle social and economic development in the sister countries.
