Widespread and unpredictable load shedding across the country is crippling businesses and raising fears of long-term damage to the economy, Business Botswana (BB) has warned.
The country’s leading business association says frequent power cuts have disrupted operations, reduced productivity, and threatened financial stability, prompting urgent talks with the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC).
BPC has attributed the crisis to multiple breakdowns at the Morupule B Power Station, the country’s largest electricity plant. Two of its four units failed earlier this year—Unit 2 on 14 February and Unit 4 on 22 March—while Unit 3 remains offline for planned maintenance. The only operational unit, Unit 1, is running at just 105MW instead of its full 150MW capacity due to unresolved defects.
Energy and Minerals Minister Bogolo Kenewendo told Parliament that the severe supply shortfall forced BPC to implement rotational load shedding starting 22 March to prevent a total grid collapse. While repairs are underway, she cautioned that reliable power supply will only be achieved after 2027, when new coal-fired plants are expected to come online.
In the meantime, BPC is scrambling to secure emergency power imports. Negotiations are ongoing with South Africa’s Eskom to renew a supply contract for 200MW, despite Botswana owing the utility P2.6 billion in unpaid electricity debts. The power utility has also assured BB that Morupule B’s Units 2 and 4 should resume operations within weeks, potentially easing the crisis by mid-June.
However, businesses remain frustrated by the erratic scheduling of power cuts, which BB says makes planning nearly impossible. “The inconsistent load shedding patterns are causing severe disruptions,” the association stated, urging BPC to provide more reliable schedules.
As a stopgap measure, BB is calling on companies and households to adopt strict energy-saving practices, including shifting high-consumption activities to off-peak hours and switching to energy-efficient lighting.
With Botswana’s power stability now heavily dependent on aging infrastructure and fragile import deals, analysts warn that without accelerated investments in generation capacity, the country could face recurring electricity shortages for years to come.
