Bame Piet
18 April 2008
Gaborone — Francistown is the highest consumer of electricity in the country, the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) has said.
BPC spokesperson, Tlhomamiso Selato said yesterday that Francistown gives them the most problems because demand for power there is too high, especially during peak hours.
Selato lamented that despite power shortages, there are some people who still ignore BPC power-saving strategies such as switching off geysers and lights when they do not need them. She confirmed that BPC has hiked its electricity tariffs by between nine and 14 percent, effective from April 1. However, in neighboring South Africa, from where Botswana imports about 75 percent of its electricity, Eskom is pushing for a 60 percent price hike and wants to make it 100 percent by 2010. Selato said that she is not sure whether BPC will hike its tariffs again if Eskom gets its way in South Africa. "We cannot say whether there will be another increase at this moment.
A price increase is a process that involves government input and approval and it takes time," she said. Although the impact of load-shedding may not be as severe as mid-January, Selato said that it will continue until the supply has normalised. She reiterated that the January shortages were caused by cable problems in Zimbabwe. She stated that as Eskom continues to experience problems, Botswana too will feel the impact since BPC gets most of its power from South Africa.
She said that BPC will continue sensitising people about saving power. In February, the Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources Ponatsego Kedikilwe assured Parliament that Eskom will not switch off power to Botswana in the near future. He said that Eskom will reduce the supply by a limited percentage every year until 2012 when Botswana's Mmamabula power project becomes operational.
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