The proposed multi-billion Inga River hydropower project has become necessary because of the envisaged problems of regional power giant Eskom. There are fears that the South African company may experience problems by 2010 and fail to meet the power needs of the region. Botswana is among the SADC countries, which will benefit from the Inga project.

Last month, energy ministers in the region met and signed a memorandum of understanding, which gave the Inga River project the go ahead. Shareholders that include power utilities in the region would sign an agreement that establishes the company that will run the multi-billion project early next month. At its full operation, the project on the Inga River in the DRC is said to be capable of supplying the entire African continent with power with a surplus to sell.

"This is a heavy current of electricity, which will be sourced from the DRC and it could produce about 30, 000 megawatts," former Botswana minister for Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Boometswe Mokgothu said last week.

Botswana will host the headquarters of the company to run the project. The country currently gets over 80 percent of electricity from Eskom although it produces its own power at Morupule outside Palapye.

"By 2010, there will be power shortage in the region and we want to finish this (the project) early to counter the deficit," Mokgothu added.

The project described as long term by Mokgothu will include most of the SADC countries like DRC, South Africa, Angola and Namibia among others.

Some of these countries together with Lesotho, Mozambique and Swaziland get their power from Eskom, which produces two thirds of electricity in Africa. Botswana is preparing for the possible power shortage from Eskom by expanding its Morupule Colliery. Eskom is experiencing a downward trend in electricity consumption and has seen its net profits falling. The country plans to start an export-based power station in Mamabule.

Botswana imports about 80 percent of its electricity from South Africa.